Destiny's Chosen
by InfiniteImmunity
Summary: Where there is Light, there is Darkness. Such a simple concept has now come so close to destroying everything we hold dear. Only those chosen by Destiny have the power to prevent such a calamity from happening. Arceus must guide Destiny's Chosen along the path before him or the world's destiny is to be shrouded in Darkness. Amourshipping, AshxSerena; Other minor pairings included.
1. Prologue - Stained by Blood and Fire

**A/N:** Hey everybody it's InfiniteImmunity here! It has been quite a few years since I last posted anything to FanFiction and a lot has changed. The last time I posted I was just starting college and now when I post this, I have actually graduated from college. I actually have a degree. Not in writing or English of course, but someone saw fit to say "Yeah, he's done all he needs to, let's give him a slip of paper that he paid shit tons of cash for." and give me a slip of paper I slaved for 5 years to earn. Well either way, I always thought about my unfinished story here on this site and that I wanted to continue and finish it, but of course, 5 years away meant a lot, and I mean a LOT has changed with the Pokémon Universe. X and Y, OR and AS, the new anime series and specials, Amourshipping, Mega Evolution and a whole litany of different things. I didn't feel like my old story would be able to do all this new content justice, so I decided to start from scratch.

For those of you who actually liked Aura's Legacy and were waiting for these 4 1/2 years for an update (If so, I give you some massive props for being that patient), I thank you seriously from the bottom of my heart, but it won't be continued. I'm moving onto this new story that I have actually storyboarded and that I actually have a general outline for what I want to happen! I know, what a concept, but I think I'll really be able to deliver with this one, and you guys are in for an amazing and emotional journey. At least, I hope so.

So without further ado, join me, InfiniteImmunity, in the epic tale of Destiny's Chosen! Hope you enjoy!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form! This story is purely a work of fiction based on the already existing universe! All rights belong to Satoshi Tajiri, The Pokémon Company, Gamefreak, and Nintendo!**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

 **A World Stained by Blood and Fire**

The Pokémon world is an astounding place, is it not? There is nowhere else quite like it. The air is clean, the water clear as crystal, the forests and fields teeming with life. Only in this place can you see people and wonderful creatures called Pokémon working together, co-existing peacefully. To see this camaraderie and friendship even makes true cynics hope for a better tomorrow. Humanity is, however, consistent… peace is a fleeting thing for us. We love our wars, our technology, our possessions; we fight in the name of our gods and leaders for no more reason than to prove a point or to "protect" ourselves from outside threat, preferring to lash out at those who are different than us rather than to understand. Accept. Love. Even the Pokémon world has not been spared from humanity's influence, for all its wonder and charm.

In time past humans fought each other often and violently, dragging Pokémon into the conflict whether they wished to or not. Pokémon have been used as assassins, as soldiers, as hostages… and always at the end of these long and bloody conflicts there are no victors, only pain and sorrow. Wars like the Unovian Revolutionary War, the Kanto-Johto Blood Conflict, and even more ancient and famous, the three thousand year old Great War of Kalos, all worse than the last, only caused needless loss of life and destroyed the lives of people and Pokémon alike. Those days, thankfully, have been left behind as humanity has entered a long and unprecedented period of peace, bringing many technological advances. Some researchers have been calling this period a Golden Age, marveling at how far society has come, and how happy and peaceful the state of the world is. There have been no more conflicts, no more war. People prefer to engage in Pokémon battles with friends and in tournaments rather than engage friends and Pokémon on the battlefield. Peace has finally been achieved after struggling for so long and all people and creatures expect it to last forever.

Humanity is, however, consistent…

And a horrible darkness is approaching this peace ridden world.

* * *

 **THE HALL OF ORIGIN  
** **Location Unknown  
Time Unknown**

" **No… this destruction… this cannot be!"** A vast wasteland lay before the sight of the Alpha Pokémon, littered with debris and corpses. The sky was a tawny orange color, tinted by the dust and flames which could be seen for miles around; The grass beneath His majestic hooves stained red with the blood of countless innocent victims… but _**"victims of what?"**_ He wondered to himself. Despite being all powerful and omniscient, He could not see what the cause of this catastrophe was, and this fact was what disturbed Him the most.

Suddenly, a foul presence broke Him out of his trance.

" **What!? This feeling… how could I not have sensed it before now? It is almost as if it has just appeared out of nothingness!"** He narrowed his gaze and looked into the distance. **"The source of this presence seems to be coming from the destroyed city up ahead."** He looked around him once more, taking in the sight of so many corpses that littered what was once a beautiful pasture. **"I must discover what caused this wanton destruction. I must find WHO did this. They shall face my wrath for ending the lives of so many of my children, man and Pokémon alike."**

Arceus began his journey towards the city, walking through the fields and pastures. He could not take more than a few steps before having to carefully navigate over the litany of bodies that littered the ground. Any normal man or beast would retch at the sight of this carnage, let alone the smell, but Arceus was no mere being. He was a divine, almighty being who has witnessed His fair share of death and destruction over the eons.

As He continued down the path, he noticed something odd. It was unusual to say the least. At the moment He first witnessed the Blood Fields, he was too overcome by grief and despair to notice, but now that He was more alert He noticed a similarity shared by every body that lay still: They all appeared as though they were running. Running away from the city.

Arceus furrowed his brow. _**"They all appear to have been fleeing from this human city when they were struck down."**_ He mused to himself. _**"But why? And what caused this hysteria in the first place?"**_

Lost in His thoughts _ **,**_ the almighty Pokémon almost missed the entrance sign to the city.

" **Lumiose City… I see. This was one of the greatest cities man had created. To be reduced to rubble and ash like this… I fear to see what could be the cause."**

Almost like lightning, His senses began detecting a most foul evil permeating throughout the city. From above to below, to in front of and behind, the God of the Pokémon world found Himself completely surrounded on all sides. His mind began racing. Whatever this presence was, it was not hostile to Him… yet. Arceus decided to use this time to travel deeper into the heart of the ruined Lumiose City towards the only structure still somewhat standing, the Lumiose Tower. The landmark that gave the City of Light it's namesake. Even with all the danger He found himself in, He could not help but feel a sense of pride in the standing tower. Apparently, some form of bastion still remained despite the attack on the city. The humans had made something quite remarkable and his was proud for his children, like any parent would be.

"… _If you keep going that way… you'll see something you wish you hadn't…"_

Arceus snapped around immediately at the sound of the voice. It was very jovial and did not match the surroundings at all. Something about this unnerved Him.

" **Who goes there!? Show yourself demon!"**

" _Hehehe… oh come now, is that any way to greet your guests? Talk about no manners!"_

Arceus's face darkened. This voice was taunting him? HIM!? **"I do not know what manner of being you are, or if what has happened to this place is your responsibility, but know this cretin… I will not be toyed with! I AM GOD!"** His bellow rebounded off the rubble and echoed all around. If there were any survivors left, they would have been able to hear His roar from miles away. **"Toy with my patience and you will quickly find yourself in a place worse than even the Distortion World!"**

" _Sheesh ok ok… Just forget I said anything! Just don't blame me for whatever might happen up ahead at the tower… hehehehehe!"_

Just as quickly as the voice appeared, it vanished, leaving only its cryptic message behind.

" **I will be the judge of that, little one."**

Determined now more than ever, Arceus broke into a full run towards the tower. Something about that voice put Him on edge; despite sounding carefree and noncommittal about its words, they still carried a weight with them. Words that He felt should not be taken lightly.

" **Something is wrong… This feeling of foreboding will not go away. But, why would I regret my decision to journey onward? What sort of game is being played here? I must find—"**

Arceus stopped dead in his tracks and could no longer think. He had arrived at the tower and was met with a scene he wished he had never witnessed. Something awful, something He never imagined was possible. There on the tower, pinned by dark rods to the front to prevent from escaping or falling off were his sons. His first sons. The ones who he loved and cared for more than anything He had before.

" **W-what is this…? Dialga? Palkia? Giratina? How… how can this be!?"**

He couldn't believe it. His beloved sons, dead. Dead and left for rot, where all who passed by could see and be reminded that not even the children of Arceus were safe from the fate of this city.

" **No… NO!"** Arceus let out an anguish filled cry that filled the orange sky above. What was already a miserable sight became worse from the anguish that was being released. The anguish of a father who has lost his children.

" _Ehehehehe! I warned you, that I did!"_ The voice cackled throughout the area. _"But of course, God won't listen because he's, well, God! Why should he? I'm sure in that infallible head of yours you already knew exactly what was going to happen! Of course! AHAHAHAHAHA!"_

Feeling more grief than He ever had in his long life, Arceus finally boiled over into an uncontrollable rage. **"YOU FOOL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!? YOU WILL FACE MY WRATH AND PAY FOR YOUR SINS! REVEAL YOURSELF!"**

" _Aw but that would just ruin all of the fun!"_

" **IS THIS NOTHING BUT A GAME TO YOU!?**

A moment of silence passed, as if the voice was carefully thinking about its answer.

"Of course not, I'm deadly serious."

Arceus was shocked out of his rage by the sudden shift in tone. The voice had just gone from taunting him to declaring its seriousness. It was at this moment that He noticed the venom dripping off of the voice's every word. It sounded truly… sinister.

No matter how hard He tried, Arceus was not able to pinpoint exactly where the voice was coming from. His frustration grew until he could no longer stand the mystery. **"You… where are you!? I grow tired of this game of hide and seek!"**

"What a coincidence, so am I."

The voice spoke without betraying any emotion to the deity in front of it. Arceus would have appreciated that skill more under different circumstances. Being able to hide anything from the Alpha Pokémon, form, location, or emotion, was an incredible feat in of itself, but that was irrelevant now. The voice was taking shape in from of Him. A mass of shadow had clumped in front of Him and began twisting and turning, contorting itself along the contour of the ground. Arceus was speechless; He had never seen something like this before! Soon enough the shadows began to twist their way up off the ground, forming the outline of a body. The body of a man. Limbs began to grow from the shadow with sickly cracking sounds, like bones were being broken over and over again to form this body. Two glowing yellow eyes appeared on the head of the apparition, making it look truly ghastly, if it didn't already. When the transformation had finally ended, Arceus was left face to face with a being of pure evil staring back at him.

" **What… What are you?"**

"I am… nowhere. I am everywhere. I am what's left behind when forgotten. I am what's never found when remembered." The shadow man answered.

" **More riddles… you are in the presence of God! Answer my question demon!"**

"But if you are indeed 'God' then you should already know the answer to that question… from everything you've seen here in the city and out on the Blood Plains, you mean to tell me you haven't figured it out?" The shadow man smiled evilly. "Think… what am I?"

Arceus wracked his infinite mind for the possible answer. He thought about how the shadow introduced itself as both nowhere and everywhere. He then had a moment of realization as the answer became clearer to him. God's eyes widened as he put the pieces of the puzzle together at long last.

" **You… I know you… But how? How are you here? I locked you away all those millennia ago!"**

"Finally, you've figured it out. As for your answer, you can never keep me away forever. Very soon I will be free to walk among the land of the living once more, and boy do I need to stretch my legs." The shadow chuckled at his joke, something Arceus did not find amusing. "I have been feeding off the malice of humanity for many many centuries, gaining strength, biding my time for when I can break free of the prison you trapped me in. I would say in as little as three years I will finally be strong enough to create my ideal world at long last."

" **You say this, but know that no matter what you try… I will be there to stop you, like I did once before all those years ago**. **You will fail."**

"Ha! I think you'll find that I am already much more powerful than I was the last time we clashed… you stand no chance against me. Struggle all you want, you can't stop me, not this time… old friend." At this, the shadow smiled his most evil smile yet, chilling Arceus to the bone.

" **You have no right to call me that!"**

The shadow shrugged in indifference. "So you say… but consider yourself warned. I'll be seeing you in three years my dear friend." The shadow began to gather a dark energy and became engulfed in a midnight hued aura, one so thick and black, it felt like no light could shine through.

Something caught the shadow's attention just out of the corner its glowing eye.

"Hm? Well well… it appears we have an unexpected spectator to our little chat… I do wonder how that is possible? Well, no matter. It is of no concern to me and my plans."

At this, the shadow grew ten times it's original size, dwarfing many of the broken buildings in the area. Two enormous aura arms erupted from the energy field around the shadow, gripping onto its intended target and lifted Arceus by His neck. While being lifted into the air by His tormentor, Arceus noticed a bright light some distance away, floating and observing the events taking place.

" **Gah!"**

The giant shadow began pulling and twisting the Alpha Pokémon's neck like a toy. It grinned sadistically.

"Remember Arceus, where there is **LIGHT** —"

 ***CRACK***

* * *

Arceus awoke from His nightmare with a start. He was in His throne room in the Hall of Origin. Beads of sweat were pouring off of His body; He had a sense of nausea permeating his very being. It all felt so real. He then checked his neck where the shadow had broke it only to find, to His horror, bruises and marks where the hands had grabbed him in his dream… no, vision of what was to come.

He then remembered the words his brother had left him with.

" _ **Where there is LIGHT, there will be DARKNESS."**_

Try as he may, the God of Creation could not sleep another wink that night… fear gripped his heart. This was the moment he feared would eventually come to pass; the moment the Darkness returned to this world.

* * *

 **Celestial Hotel  
** **Anistar City - Kalos  
** **Just after midnight**

"No… Wait! Don't do it…" Someone mumbled in their sleep.

In a certain part of the world, a young man was also having a restless sleep. Ash Ketchum was not one for nightmares; he usually slept like a rock. Not one of his traveling companions, even his own mother, had the ability to wake him up from a deep enough sleep. This was not the case as of late, however, as his dreams had become so lucid he could no longer tell the difference between them and reality most nights.

"NO!" Ash screamed as he flung himself out of his bed and onto the floor of his hotel room. He landed with a loud thud and knocked the wind out of himself, gasping for air as he regained his senses.

"Ouch…" Ash spoke muttered under his breath. "Not again… I can't keep this up much longer."

"Ash!? What happened? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah Clemont, I'm ok… well, other than my head at least. That part is hurting like crazy." Ash chuckled at his off-humor. He noticed that off in the corner of the room Pikachu was stilled curled up in a ball and sleeping comfortably on a soft chair. Nothing seemed to faze his partner while he slept either.

Clemont still looked worried. Being one of his more recent traveling companions, he couldn't say he knew Ash the most out of anyone, tat would be too presumptuous. In fact, he would go as far to say that his younger sister Bonnie knew more about Ash than he did sometimes. Despite that, he could easily say that from what he did know, he knew the aspiring Pokémon Master was never very forthcoming when something was wrong. Ash tended to hide how he felt or if something was bothering him to spare his friends from what he would call "silly things". Clemont wasn't buying it this time.

"Was it another nightmare Ash? You've been having them for a few days now… I'm worried about you." Clemont spoke softly.

Ash stopped chuckling and froze, his face now unreadable. He looked to the side and into the distance, almost like he was viewing some far off event.

"So… you knew huh?"

"You've been tossing in your sleep for the last three or four nights. It isn't like you so I knew something must have been wrong. Some nights you even mumbled in your sleep… you can tell me what's going on. You're like a brother to me now, and I want to be able to help!"

The determination in Clemont's eyes warmed Ash's heart. He felt a close kinship with the lemon haired gym leader too, having been traveling together now for many months. Perhaps he could open up to him about what's going on.

Ash took a deep breath and steeled himself. "It's… nothing really, but for the last few nights I've been having these really strange and terrifying dreams."

"You mean you've been having nightmares? The same one?"

"Well that's just the thing, the last few nights it's been the same one, but tonight it was… different."

Clemont raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Different? Different how?"

"Well, the nightmares I've been having the last few days had to do with my home mostly, but the one tonight had nothing to do with that." Ash shrugged his shoulders. "I was in a place I couldn't recognize, but from what I could tell, it was a destroyed city. The sky was this burnt orange color and I could tell something awful must have happened there."

Clemont's jaw dropped slightly. That didn't sound like a very good thing to be dreaming of.

"Ash that sounds horrible!"

"Well hold on, because it gets worse." Ash gave Clemont a grave look, something he found very worrisome. "I saw… well to be honest I'm not totally sure what I saw. I could see my surroundings perfectly, but then I saw these two figures. A large white one and a smaller purple-ish black one. They were so blurry I couldn't make out who or what they were, but it looked like they were fighting. The smaller blur suddenly looked over in my direction and, here's the really confusing part, seemed to grin at me. I don't know why, but that scared me so much, I couldn't move or say anything." Ash shivered as he remembered the scene so vividly.

Clemont never realized how vivid and disturbing Ash's dreams were until now. The scientist couldn't help but want to know what happened next. He spoke softer than he did before, so soft that only someone who was right next to him could hear. "So… what happened after that?"

"Well… the smaller figure must have had a massive growth spurt or something because it suddenly grew to be way larger than the white one."

"What!? How is that even possible?"

"I have no idea! But then… then it grabbed the other guy and… and then… snapped it's neck or something. Oh Arceus, I think I'm going to be sick!" Ash almost looked ready to release the contents of his stomach on the hotel room floor.

Clemont's eyes widened as Ash finished the story, it just seemed so unbelievable! Did Ash really witness somebody being murdered like that? And so brutally too.

"Oh my word… Ash are you serious?"

"Yeah… I can still hear that sound… the horrible sound of someone's neck being snapped. It makes me nauseous to think about…"

"I can imagine… Ash I'm so sorry that thats what you've been going through. I can't even fathom the emotions you must be feeling right now, but please, know that myself, and all your other friends are here to help and support you. So you can talk to us when you go through these things. We know you would do the same for us after all!"

For the first time that night, Ash smiled. That's right, how could he forget? He had a great group of friends who would do anything to help him if he needed it. It was so simple.

"Clemont… thank you. That really means a lot to me." Ash gave Clemont his trademark grin and let out a laugh. "Man! I really should have told you guys about these dreams sooner rather than later!"

Clemont smiled back, but then remembered something. "Oh that's right… you said that you had this dream for the first time tonight. What about the other one you've had for the last three days?"

Ash looked the blonde in the eyes and shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"Well… it's not really pretty either, but I guess I'll tell you since you asked. It all starts when I get home from some journey I was on…"

* * *

 **The Ketchum Residence**  
 **Pallet Town - Kanto**  
 **Time Unknown**

"Hey mom! I'm home!" Ash yelled as he opened the front door to his house. He had been away for a long time and was glad to finally be back home. He eagerly awaited the chance to have his mother's cooking again after such a long time of going without it.

"Pikachu! Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed from his favorite shoulder perch. He looked just as excited as Ash did to be back.

"Looks like Pikachu is happy to be back again too!" Ash let out a hearty laugh at that.

Suddenly, a long haired brunette revealed herself from the door to the kitchen. Delia Ketchum was in the middle of making a meal for herself when she heard some shouting coming from the front door. Upon realizing who's voice it was, she rushed into the next room.

"Oh my sweet baby boy! You're home! I've missed you so much my little Ash!" Delia latched onto her son aggressively and gave hime the biggest hug she could manage.

"Ack! Mom… crushing… ribs. Can't… breathe…!"

"Oh dear me! I'm so sorry sweetie!"

As Delia released her son from her bone crushing hug, he slumped to the ground. Pikachu, having sensed the danger before hand, leapt off of Ash's shoulder to save himself. Now he could spare to laugh at his poor trainer's misfortune.

"Yeah yeah… laugh all you want Pikachu…" Ash glared at his best friend. " But anyway, it's good to be back mom! And boy let me tell you, I'm starved!"

"Oh Ash, as always you put your stomach first…" Delia chuckled at her son's antics. "Well let me put something on the stove and we can have dinner together!"

"Sure, sounds great mom!"

While Delia excused herself back into the kitchen to cook, Ash walked over to the couch and sat down, putting his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. Pikachu gave his trainer a look of disdain at seeing this.

"What? Can't a guy have a moment to relax after being away from home for so long?"

"Pika…"

Heh, yeah… I guess it's still bad manners no matter how you put it. My bad. I guess maybe I'll just lay down and take a nap for a bit until dinner's ready." Ash stretched himself over the length of the cushiony couch, enjoying the feel of the cool pillow he laid his head on, while his sore muscles enjoyed the relaxing state he put himself in.

"Pika! Piki pi! Pikachu!"

"You'll wake me up when the food's ready?" Pikachu nodded back. "Thanks buddy! I appreciate it! See you in an hour…" Ash pulled his cap over his eyes as a makeshift night mask and quickly found himself entering a peaceful sleep.

—

While in the middle of what might have been a good dream, Ash awoke with a start. He didn't know why he did, but after looking at the clock on the wall, he was glad he did. He noticed he had been asleep for almost two hours and most certainly would have missed dinner with his mother.

"Oh crap! It's that late? I must have been really tired… Hey Pikachu, why didn't you wake me?" Ash called out to his rodent partner, but received no answer back. Curious, he got up.

"Pikachu? Hey buddy, where are you?"

After giving a quick look around the room, Ash quickly realized that Pikachu was nowhere to be seen. Very strange. He was sure Pikachu had said to him that he'd wake him up when dinner was ready. Did he go for a walk? Maybe to Professor Oak's Lab to see all his other Pokémon? But Pikachu wouldn't just wander off on his own without saying anything… plus he was sure that dinner must be done already by this point. So where could he have wandered off to?

"That's really weird… and not like Pikachu at all. Hey mom? Have you seen Pikachu anywhere?"

Again, his question was met by an eerie silence. Ash called out to his mother a second time, but still received no answer. Now he was worried. First Pikachu disappeared, and now his own mother? Ash was convinced there was something wrong going on here.

"Ok, this is getting really strange… where is everyone? HELLO!?"

Silence.

"What's going on here? … Hey wait, what's that smell?"

Ash smelled an odd odor wafting thorough his house. At first he couldn't identify it, but after a while it began to remind him of the times he attempted to cook meals when he was out journeying. It was one of the reasons he was banned from cooking by his friends like Brock, May, and Cilan. It smelled like something was burning.

Ash's eyes widened in realization that something was burning in the kitchen. He ran into the next room to see what was going on, and was horrified at the sight that was in front of him.

"Oh my Arceus, the kitchen is on fire!" Ash started to panic; this was the last thing he expected to see after waking up. He realized that the smell of smoke is probably what woke him up in the first place. Try as he may, the fire became too strong too quickly and he couldn't seem to put it out as it spread to cover the entirety of the kitchen.

"Oh no. Oh no no no no no! The house is gonna go up in flames! I gotta get out of here!"

Ash bolted out of the kitchen and quickly ran upstairs searching for his mom and Pikachu. He needed to make sure they were ok and could get out of the house before it was too late. Unfortunately he just couldn't seem to find them anywhere. Out of time, Ash cursed his luck and had to believe that they weren't in the house anymore and somewhere safe, so he ran downstairs and out the front door to safety before the fire got upstairs. He ran faster than he ever ran before in his life, he didn't even have time to process everything that was going on as he got outside. The moment he stepped out of the door, there was an explosion behind him and flames shot out everywhere.

"Whoa! That was close!" Ash looked up at his childhood home. "My house… oh no, it's gonna be ruined…"

Ash began to feel tears well up in his eyes. The house he grew up in, took his first steps in, always came home to at the end of each of his adventures was burning up in front of him and there was nothing he could do. He reached down to his belt to retrieve one of his water Pokémon to help combat the flames, but noticed that he had no Pokémon with him for some reason. This was a worst case scenario for sure.

"Damn it… damn it all!" Ash had to accept that this was one battle he couldn't win… until he had a thought.

"Maybe the neighbors can help! I'm sure they'll have some water Pokémon that can put this out!"

Ash turned to run down the dirt road to his closest neighbor until he noticed something rather quickly. He had no idea how he didn't notice sooner; perhaps he was too wrapped up in his own house burning down? But now that his attention was being drawn away from his own home, he saw a terrifying sight. His neighbor's home was on fire as well. And so was the next house. And the next one after that. And then the home after that one.

The whole town of Pallet was burning to the ground.

Ash took a step back in shock and awe at the scene in front of him.

"W-what…? What's… What's going on here!?" Everyone is… no… how is this happening right now!?"

Ash quickly looked up towards the hill where the Oak Research Lab was located and saw that it was the only building not on fire yet. Maybe there was a chance to save his town from burning after all!

"Professor Oak! He can help for sure! I'm sure he's already out doing something now to fight this fire… I have to go help him!" Ash began running as fast as he could towards the lab.

While running down the road, Ash heard a strange buzzing noise that slowly got louder and louder. It was coming from over the hills to the left of town.

"What the hell is that noise?" Ash looked over his shoulder and stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth agape at the source of the sound.

"N-No way… what is that thing!? It's HUGE!"

Ash saw a giant flying airship lumbering slowly through the sky towards Pallet Town. He hadn't seen a ship that large since his adventures in the Orange Islands many years ago, and he was almost positive that this one was bigger.

At the sudden appearance of this flying vessel, Ash was confused. Where had this thing come from? And who was piloting it? Wait, maybe they were here to help? Had the Pokémon League Association sent a rescue ship?

"Hey guys! Over here! Help us!"

The ship gradually got closer to the town until it was flying almost directly over Ash's head, filling him with the hope that his town could be spared this gruesome fate after all. He was about to start jumping for joy until he saw something strange. There were canons on the front of the ship and they were beginning to move, like they were taking aim at something.

"Hey… w-wait a minute! What are you doing!?"

Suddenly, and without warning, beams of energy shot out the front of the ship and directly over the trainer's head towards the Lab. In a flash of light followed by a thunderous explosion, the ship's weapons had entirely decimated the Oak Research Lab until there was nothing left but a steaming pile of rubble.

Ash dropped to his knees, defeated and destroyed. The lab, the professor, all his Pokémon, gone. In an instant.

"NOOOOOOOO! HOW COULD YOU!? WE NEEDED HELP AND YOU… WHY!? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!?"

Ash screamed at the ship, naively hoping his words would have some effect. In his rage, he noticed a figure standing at the top of the ship, but it was too far to make out who it was. This frustrated the young man even more, that someone was capable of doing something as evil as this.

"WHO ARE YOU!?"

"The figure seemed to have turned to look at the trainer and regard him for a moment before turning around and walking through a door back inside the ship.

The last sight to grace Ash's eyes as the ship was flying away was the large, blood red R on the side of the airship.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

Well there you have it! This will be a more dark story, but tastefully done. I think (and pretty much everyone else on the planet) that Ash has a lot of room to grow as a character. Happy go lucky is all well and good, but it doesn't make the most interesting stories if you have a character that is oblivious to most of the things life has in store for people. And like this story, life can be dark. But life can also be very bright too, and that is my goal for this fic: to create a semi-realistic story where the characters will go through many different struggles to see this oncoming threat to the end. There will be joy, there will be despair, there will be love, and there will be death, to name a few.

The story will be eventual Amourshipping for those of you who are curious, but there will be many twists and turns along the way. Like anything in life, you don't get what you want until you work hard for it. For me, that's writing this epic, and for all of you readers, that's actually reading :p

So let me know what you thought about this prologue! What did you like about it? What did you think could have been improved on? Are you excited to see what happens next? Do you think that I should stop being annoying and let you ask your own questions god dammit?

Make sure to read and review, and ask questions if you have any, I won't bite. I'm very excited to see some feedback from you guys!

So thank you all for reading, and until next time, this is InfintieImmunity signing off! See you guys next chapter!


	2. Chapter 1: Omens

**A/N:** Hey all, welcome back to Destiny's Chosen! I hope you all enjoyed the prologue and are ready for the next installment in this (hopefully) epic saga! There won't be much of an author's note here in the beginning, so we'll just jump straight into the action. Hope you guys enjoy, and I'll see you at the end of the chapter!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form! This story is purely a work of fiction based on the already existing universe! All rights belong to Satoshi Tajiri, The Pokémon Company, Gamefreak, and Nintendo!**

* * *

 **Distortion World** **  
** **Time Unknown**

Shadow and confusion, two words that could easily describe the realm of the mythical Pokémon Giratina. The Renegade Pokémon was banished to this dark and unforgiving dimension by his own father, Arceus, when the ancient humans deemed him too violent and unpredictable to be able to co-exist together. Giratina, while he understood why his father did what he did, still held some modicum of resentment for his exile to this place. It wasn't all bad, however, as he was given free reign over how his new domain would function and exist. He made sure it lived up to it's name, bending and altering the way reality worked within his home. The Distortion World was not a place for the faint of heart after all.

Giratina floated around the Distortion World aimlessly, finding pleasure in the macabre atmosphere he was so proud of creating. This plane of existence, after being exiled here for so long, became the most important possession he had left; he would defend it to his last breath if he had to. This defensiveness is why the Distortion World had the reputation of being a place where you would not leave with your life so easily if you happened to wander inside.

In the midst of his wandering, Giratina felt an unusual disturbance taking place in a far off corner in his realm

" **Hm? That feeling… what could it mean?"** the dark being spoke aloud, to no one in particular.

Being king of this space, he easily warped himself closer to the source of this odd disturbance, curious as to the cause. Upon arrival, he was met with a white portal to another realm he was all too familiar with directly in front of him. One he had mixed feelings of returning to. Every bone in his body was telling him to go the other way, to leave the portal and the summons alone, but he knew that no matter how much he above it, he could not escape this call for long. He sighed and resigned himself as he flew through the portal. Upon exiting, Giratina found himself in a beautiful, crystalline realm where one could feel all the world's power coursing through the very walls. He was home again, in his father's domain.

"… **Father? Have you summoned me to your holy hall for something?"** Giratina asked of his father. Returning to the Hall of Origin after so long filled him with an uneasy feeling… his father would not willingly bring him back to this place unless something was wrong.

Arceus looked at His youngest son gravely. **"My dear son… welcome home, though I wish it was under better circumstances. I will explain why you have been brought here shortly, though I must ask you to be patient. I have summoned your brothers to this place as well. They will arrive shortly."**

" **Brothers? You don't mean to say…"**

But before he could finish his statement, two portals, one blue and the other pink, appeared a few feet away from the two Pokémon. The Lords of Time and Space, Dialga and Palkia, stepped through and entered the holy hall of Arceus. Giratina chuckled dryly under his breath, it was almost as if it were a family reunion… and this "family" was incredibly dysfunctional.

" **Father! What is so urgent you have summoned us to you?"** Dialga looked over and took notice of his father and youngest brother standing there, waiting for them to arrive. The sight of Giratina was not what the Temporal Pokémon was expecting.

" **You…! What are you doing here you disgrace? Have you no shame, you violent fool?"**

Giratina flinched at his oldest brother's derision. He never had the greatest relationship with his brothers after his banishment and his relationship with Dialga had always been a rocky one before that to begin with.

"… **It's good to see you as well Dialga. Palkia, I'm glad to see you are doing well also."** Giratina regarded his two brothers.

Palkia nodded at his long exiled brother. **"Yes, I'm glad to see you are well. Don't mind Dialga, he has not been in the greatest mood as of late, but know that I am glad our family has been brought back together after millennia apart."**

" **Speak for yourself Palkia, I am not the least bit overjoyed at this reunion!"** Dialga spat.

" **Well neither am I** _ **brother**_ **. I wish nothing more than to unravel your flimsy hold on time so that there might be a little more chaos in the world."**

" **How dare you, you insolent whelp! Do not meddle with things you can not possibly understand!"**

" **You're the fool who doesn't understand-!"**

" **THAT'S ENOUGH YOU FOOLISH CHILDREN!"**

Dialga and Giratina reeled from their father's outburst; apparently He had had enough of their petty squabbling.

" **I did not summon you three here for your own amusement. I have done this because I need to entrust you three with some very disturbing knowledge recently made known to me."**

The Creation Trio looked at each other in what appeared to be confusion. So there was something they needed to hear after all?

Palkia looked at his father and slowly nodded. **"Well then father, we are listening. What has happened?"**

" **Oh my children… my worst fears have come to fruition. This world is no longer safe and shall be plunged into true chaos and destruction in thee years hence. I am afraid, my sons, that it might be neigh impossible to prevent now."**

The three listening were shocked at their father's admission of fear. He never was afraid for as long as they had known him. He was the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Nothing was beyond his understanding or omniscience. For him to feel fear, something was seriously wrong.

" **Beloved father, what do you mean? What has you so afraid?"** Dialga asked calmly.

" **In three years… what I have locked away for so many generations of man will be returning to consume this world. I was visited by it in a vision the previous night as a warning."**

Arceus took a deep breath, readying Himself as he revealed to his sons the nature of this calamity.

" **The Darkness is returning to this land."**

Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina looked at each other in trepidation. This was not what they had expected at all.

Giratina desperately wished he had stayed home in the Distortion World after all.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Omens**

* * *

 **Celestial Hotel  
** **Anistar City - Kalos  
** **Early Morning**

The morning sun crept slowly up from the horizon, lighting all of nature in a brilliant glow. It was the start of a new day, and the earliest risers were some of the busiest Pokémon out there: Combee and Flabébé tending to the flowers out on the hills and in gardens, pollinating and maintaining them for their continued growth. A wild Fletchinder could be seen returning to a nest up in an old oak tree bringing food for its baby Fletchling. It was another typical morning in the beautiful region of Kalos.

Ash Ketchum was woken up from his slumber by the sounds of those very same Fletchling crying out for their morning breakfast. He felt groggy and heavy, as he did not manage to sleep well after the previous nights's events.

" _Damn birds… I really could have done with some more sleep. Eh, oh well."_

He slowly sat up from his bed and rubbed his burning eyes. Whether he liked it or not, the day would start with or without him, and he preferred working hard as opposed to leisurely lying around. He was never one to sit still for long after all.

" _Welp, no sense in getting too upset. Pokémon gotta eat too. Maybe I can use this time to train a bit!_ " He thought positively.

"Hey Pikachu, you up buddy? Ready for another day of training hard?"

At the sound of Ash's voice, Pikachu looked up at his trainer with a big smile on his face and determination in his eyes. Unlike Ash, Pikachu had a good night's rest and was ready and raring to go.

"Pika!" The mouse shouted as he leapt onto Ash's shoulder, his favorite spot.

"Alright! Let's go!"

Ash quickly threw on his jacket and cap and was about to head for the door when he heard some rustling to the side of him.

"Ash…? Where are you going at this time of day? Isn't a little early to be heading out to train?" Clemont asked him from his bed.

"Oops, sorry for waking you Clemont… but no, I feel great! Perfect for getting an early start today!"

"You feel… what? Great?" Clemont looked at Ash like he had grown a second head. "I find that hard to believe after what you told me last night… you looked positively traumatized when you recounted your recurring dream."

Ash tensed up for a moment, having almost forgotten that the young scientist was brought up to speed on his nightmare problem. Despite Clemont's observation being somewhat true, he didn't want to worry him too much. Besides, nothing could clear his head like battling or training can. It was therapeutic in a way.

"Nah don't you worry Clemont! I'm fine enough now anyway… I'm just going to put my all into training my Pokémon like I do everyday."

"If you say so… though I'm still worried. I told you this last night, but I'll repeat myself just in case. You aren't alone Ash, and no matter what you're going through you can talk to us about it. Serena, Bonnie, myself, we're all here for you like you would be for us. Please don't forget that."

Ash smiled broadly back at Clemont. It was very comforting to know that he was with people who genuinely cared about his well being like this.

" Well, since you say that, I won't lie, it's not like those dreams aren't on my mind sometimes… I get the urge to call home and check in on my mom and Professor Oak to make sure everything's alright, but that's kind of silly, huh? I mean, they were just dreams." Ash shrugged.

"No, I don't think it's silly at all. You're worried and I think that's a completely normal reaction. I don't need science to tell you that if you feel like you should call home, then you should. No one is stopping you."

Clemont understood Ash's concern. Being that this was the lemon haired inventor's first real journey away from home for an extended period, he had been vey homesick at certain points. He worried that Clembot, his robotic gym aid he invented to take care of things while he was gone, would malfunction again and wreck things. He worried that his father Meyer would be having a hard time without him there to help out around the house. It was frustrating to say the least, but worries like that can be easily fixed with a quick phone call.

Ash laughed at this. "Ahaha! Yeah I suppose you're right. I'm the only one stopping me after all."

"You know Ash, I think it would be a good thing if you told the others about what's been going on as well."

"You mean your sister and Serena?"

"Yes, the both of them. They can only offer all the support they can if you let them in you know." Clemont adjusted his glasses over his eyes. "Besides, knowing them, they'll figure out something is wrong on their own anyway."

Ash sweat dropped at that. "Yeah… I have a feeling you're right about that one."

"So, do you think it's a good idea?"

"Of course I do! I'll take your advice then… I'll explain everything over breakfast." Ash nodded in confirmation before grabbing his pack and making for the door.

"W-wait! Ash! Then why are you still going out?"

This time, Ash looked at Clemont like HE had grown a second head.

"I'm going to train, obviously. Just because I agree with you doesn't mean I won't still work my ass off out there and try to get stronger!"

Ash plastered his trademark grin before walking right out the door. Clemont just stared stupidly at the spot where the raven haired trainer was standing in front of him just seconds ago. Was he really being serious?

" _Of course… it's Ash. Of course he's serious. He has probably the worst case of tunnel vision I've ever seen in a person!_ "

Clemont let out a big sigh as looked out of the bedroom window in front of him. The sun was really starting to shine brightly outside, it looked like it was going to be another beautiful day. He'd feel more happy about that if his conversation with Ash, especially the ending, didn't make him feel so drained.

"Maybe I can just go back to sleep for a bit myself…"

Clemont laid himself back down on his soft bed and felt like he could quickly return to the land of dreams again. He invited sleep to come and take him, because Ash could just be so tiring sometimes. He felt his eyelids start to droop as he laid his head on his comfy pillow, any second now he would finally drift away.

It felt glorious….

 ***KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK***

"Hey big brother! You up yet!? Come on sleepy head, it's time to wake up!"

"… Why me?"

* * *

 **Lysandre Café  
** **Lumiose City - Kalos**

There's an old saying in the region of Kalos: "If you're in Lumiose City and you're bored, then you're doing wrong!" With all of the high class restaurants, cafés, events and attractions to be seen in the crown jewel of the Kalos region, there is quite literally no reason to be bored. This was not the case for one man in particular, however, as he sat at a table in a small café waiting for someone to show up.

"He's late… why does he always have to make me wait for him?"

Professor Augustine Sycamore was a very busy man and did not like having his time wasted… or being stood up at a meeting _he_ was called to. As he spent the better part of the last day and a half driving back to Lumiose City from Anistar City after meeting with Ash Ketchum and his friends, he was very tired, very irritable, and very eager to get back to work on unlocking the secrets of Mega Evolution. He felt he had much better things to do than wait in some unknown café for an old acquaintance.

Sycamore pulled out his watch and checked the time. It almost felt like the second hand was starting to making it's rotation around the clock face slower with every passing second. He was beyond bored.

"I swear… if he doesn't show within the next five minutes, I'm going back to the lab." Sycamore narrowed his eyes. "First he calls me telling me he's made the discovery of the century, but refuses to say what it is unless I meet him in person, then tells me to come here and now he doesn't show."

The professor put his watch away and let out a deep sigh of resignation.

"I could be researching right now… damn that Lysandre!" He cursed as he sipped his coffee.

"You were saying Augustine?"

At the sound of the gruff voice from behind him, Augustine Sycamore did the only thing he could do at that moment.

He spat out his deliciously brewed coffee.

And unfortunately, by an unlucky coincidence, all over the young waitress who came to ask if he needed anything in particular.

"DEAR ARCEUS! I'm so terribly sorry young lady! That was completely unintentional!"

The waitress was shellshocked, not completely understanding what had just happened. Eventually her mind caught up to reality and the anger in her eyes were evident. She quickly turned on her heel and stormed away, saying that she will return with the lunch menu at a later time.

Sycamore sweat dropped at the turn of events. "Well… it appears I will not be eating here again anytime soon… lest I risk my meal being poisoned."

"Poison? Clearly you aren't serious Augustine? Poison would be such an ineffective way to take revenge, don't you think?" Lysandre joked dryly. "If I were her, I would find a way to blacklist you from as many fine establishments and eateries as I could."

"And who's fault do you think this is in the first place?"

"Clearly not mine, I haven't even ordered a coffee yet."

"… You're a real bastard you know that?"

Lysandre smirked at the insult. "It is good to see you again too, old friend."

The red haired man pulled out the seat in front of the professor and sat down. After a few moments to clean up the spilled café au lait all over the table, he folded his hands in front of his face and stared directly at Professor Sycamore.

"I'm glad you could make it Augustine, we have much to discuss."

"So you said over the phone… but what could be so important that you couldn't tell me then? And if it was that important, couldn't you have been on time to our meeting? I have been here for over thirty minutes now for Mew's sake."

Lysandre chuckled at his friend's frustration, enjoying seeing Augustine Sycamore, local heart throb and lady killer, lose his cool like this. It felt like… a victory in his book. And he would relish it later.

"My tardiness aside, the reason I have asked to meet with you in person is because I can not trust this information to anyone but its intended recipient." He explained. "What I have found… I can not risk the chance of being overheard by less… _desirable_ individuals. It has the potential to get in the way of my plans if this were to get out."

Sycamore's eyes widened at Lysandre's explanation. If what he was saying was true, then this discovery must be absolutely groundbreaking! He wasn't too sure what his "plans" were or what he meant by undesirable people, but this clearly must be extremely important.

"Then… I am honored you find me so trustworthy Lysandre. Thank you."

"Don't be mistaken Augustine… I don't find you all that trustworthy… not yet."

"Excuse me? I'm confused… then if you don't trust me, why tell me?"

"Have you forgotten so soon?" Lysandre stated bluntly. "I told you on the phone that I _needed your help_ , not that I _trusted_ you. If I could do this without your help, I most certainly would, but as it stands I will be unable to sequence the data from future tests and experiments without your assistance. Call it what you will, but I will need your help, which is why I'm asking for your cooperation."

Now the professor was even more confused. None of this was making much sense, and the red head's cryptic answers only led to more questions. Still…his curiosity as a scientist was peeked a little.

"Then tell me, what's gotten you so riled up? I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into if I agree."

Lysandre shook his head in denial. "I'm sorry friend, but I am unable to divulge this information unless you agree to help me. It's too sensitive… if you told anybody, I would have to kill you."

Sycamore did a double take at that statement, almost not believing what he heard. When he looked at the man sitting across from him, all he saw was a slight smile; it led him to believe that it was just another attempt at dry humor. Still… something seemed off about all this. He could have sworn he heard a hint of seriousness in Lysandre's tone of voice just now. Was he imagining it? Surely. There was no possible way he could have been serious.

"Then… I have a question for you about all this."

"If I can answer it, then I will."

"This… research. Does it fall under your company's policy? That this work will be for the betterment of humanity and civilization?"

At this Lysandre smirked, knowing that the professor asked the best possible question he could.

"We at Lysandre Labs do all we can to create a better and more beautiful world… this work I ask of you is no different. It will be for the betterment of all, and we will go down in history, Augustine, for bringing about this change. And a mighty change it will be!"

Sycamore nodded in approval, if that's the case, then how could he refuse?

" Alright then, you have my support. I'll do what I can to help."

"Excellent! I'm pleased to see you accept so readily Augustine. It takes courage to step into the unknown, and your act of bravery gives me hope for the future of humanity."

Professor Sycamore couldn't help but smile at that. He was glad his support could make such a difference… even though he wasn't entirely sure in what yet.

"So then, what is this big discovery about then? I would like to know…"

"Patience, my dear friend. I will be in contact with you later when preparations are complete…" Lysandre stood up from the table and looked into the distance, focusing on something only he could see. "All I will say at this time is that we found… _it_."

"It? It, what?"

"The origin. The origin of many things…" He grinned. "Including a new era of discovery."

Satisfied, Sycamore stood up as well and shook Lysandre's hand.

"Well then, I'll be on my way. Contact me when you require my assistance! I'll do what I can."

Lysandre nodded and bid his friend good day. As the professor walked out of the café, Lysandre could't suppress the dark grin forming on his face.

"Finally… at long last everything can begin… you there!" He shouted towards the waitress who Sycamore had satined with his coffee earlier. "What is your name?"

The girl looked up at him. "My name is Rosa, sir."

"Rosa… a fine name. Contact Xerosic. Tell him we can begin phase one of Project Z immediately."

"Yes sir, Commander Lysandre! All hail Team Flare!"

As Rosa saluted her boss, she vanished behind the counter and into the kitchen. Lysandre was ready to begin setting the stage for his grand plan. Project Z was finally a go.

"Soon… the world will have the beauty I wish for."

* * *

 **Training Grounds  
** **Anistar City - Kalos**

"Alright Hawlucha, this is the last exercise for today! Try to hit all the targets Frogadier will throw into the air!"

The Fighting/Flying type nodded in affirmation to his trainer. He was pumped and ready for some target practice!

"Ok then… START!"

On Ash's command, his Frogadier began launching tufts of fur from his mane into the air for Hawlucha to grab, punch, and drop kick out of the sky. They were currently working on the bird's aerial accuracy.

After a few minutes of target practice, Hawlucha hadn't missed a single one.

"Great job! Keep it up Hawlucha! This next one will be the last one, and Frogadier won't hold back!"

On Ash's signal, Frogadier threw one final tuft into the air. He made sure to throw it as hard and as far away as he could manage to.

Hawlucha quickly pursued the target and went into the motions for his signature Flying Press attack, but underestimated the speed he was gliding at. As a result, he hit the target, but crashed into a row of trees on the side of the field, knocking a few over from the impact.

"Oh no! Hawlucha!" Ash yelled as he ran over to his Pokémon. Hawlucha was lying in the middle of a self made crater. "Are you ok!?"

"Lucha… lucha!"

"Oh what a relief… be careful! Next time, don't overdo it, ok…?"

" _ **NOOOOOOOOO! HOW COULD YOU!? WE NEEDED HELP AND YOU… WHY!? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!?"**_

Ash held his head, the small crater Hawlucha made reminded him of his recurring nightmares.

" _ **WHO ARE YOU!?"**_

"Dammit! These thoughts… they won't leave me alone!" Ash sighed in resignation. "I guess the only thing to do would be to call home, huh guys?"

Pikachu, Frogadier, and Hawlucha looked at their trainer with concern on their faces. They all nodded, agreeing that calling home would be the best course of action. Perhaps seeing that his mother was fine and safe would finally put his mind at ease.

Receiving the support and confirmation he needed, Ash quickly returned his Pokémon, except for Pikachu, and the two of them walked back to the hotel where they could make a quick phone call to Pallet Town. Upon arrival to the hotel lobby, they discovered that they would need to wait for a while until a phone was free to use.

"Just our luck, huh Pikachu?" Ash remarked to his partner sadly.

"Ash? What are you doing here?"

Ash turned at the sound of the familiar voice from behind.

"Huh? Oh, hey Serena! I'm just waiting to use a phone, what are you doing here?"

"I was just on my way out to practice some combinations for my next Performance before dinner!" The honey-blonde teenager chirped back happily. Since she had found her calling, the young performer really came into her own, becoming more determined and passionate about Pokémon as a whole. Ash couldn't be more proud of her with all the effort she was putting into her training these days.

"Oh awesome! I'm sure you'll come up with some great new routines Serena! You always do." Ash gave her a thumbs up and a smile, being as encouraging as he could be.

"Oh! Ehehe, thank you Ash…" Serena could not help but blush ever so lightly at his praise. She couldn't help feeling the way she did about him, it was too easy to crush on her childhood friend since he had always gone out of his way to help her since they were little. She did her best to calm herself down. "So, if you don't mind me prying, who are you calling?"

Ash let out a chuckle and scratched the back of his head, a nervous tick he's had since a young age. "Well… I know this is silly, but I've been having a bad feeling lately, so I was gonna check in with my mom to see if everything is alright back home."

Serena was surprised… that sort of behavior certainly was unusual for Ash. _"He has a bad feeling? I've never known him to worry like this before."_

"Is everything ok Ash? If anything is bothering you, you can talk to me about it… I want you to… you know, rely on me a little…" Serena couldn't help but blush again at her words.

"I know… Clemont said the same thing to me last night. I promise I'll explain everything soon, just let me call home first, deal?" He smiled after he had a thought. "If you want, join me on the video call. I'm sure my mom will be happy to see you too!"

"Is that really ok?"

Ash broadened his smile and gave her a nod. That was all Serena needed to see.

"Then I'd be glad to! Looks like a phone is free now too."

"Perfect timing!"

Ash and Serena walked into the phone booth and sat down in front of the monitor. Ash quickly punched in his phone number and hit the connect button; he felt like this would finally put his mind at ease and he could focus on his training and journey here in Kalos again.

 **CONNECTING… CONNECTING… CONNECTING… CONNECTING…**

He must have waited for only a few minutes, but it felt like hours to him. Why wasn't his mother answering the phone? For as long as he could remember, she never missed a phone call. Was she out? Maybe she was asleep? Ash couldn't remember the time difference between the regions. His concern was starting to grow.

"Hmm… maybe I'll try Professor Oak's Lab then. He, or Tracey, should be able to pick up no matter what time it is."

"Tracey?" Serena asked, curious who he was.

"Oh, an old friend of mine… he started working in the lab a few years ago. It was always his dream"

Ash hung up on his home phone and typed in the number to the lab. He silently prayed that someone… ANYONE would pick up.

 **CONNECTING… CONNECTING… CONNECTING… CONNECTING…**

"Ash… it doesn't look like anyone is picking up here either. Are you sure there's no reason why nobody would be around?"

"No… I mean, not that I know of…" Ash said worriedly. He felt his heart beating like crazy and started to sweat nervously. If he wasn't concerned before, he was extremely worried now. Could his dream have actually happened while he wasn't there? Is that even possible? Is it possible that his dreams were visions of the future? The present? Was his home destroyed? Did he fail in saving the people he loved and cared for? Were his Pokémon back home alright?

His thoughts continued to spiral out of control until a sweet, but concerned voice spoke up next to him.

"Ash! Ash, are you ok!? Snap out of it!"

Ash immediately regained control of his senses and turned to face his companion. Her worry filled gaze made him feel guilty for scaring her like that. He needed to calm down and find a way to process everything right now. Maybe Serena could help him.

"S-Sorry Serena… this is all just… too unnerving to be a coincidence. I need to find out what's going on"

"What do you mean? Please, what's going on?"

"I'll explain everything on the way… Let's go find Clemont and Bonnie and go have an early dinner. I think I'll need to explain just what's been happening the last few days."

Ash and Serena left the phone booth quickly and went to go find their blond travel companions. While Serena was worried and confused as to what was going on right now, Ash only had one thing on his mind: something was horribly wrong, and he could feel it in every bone in his body.

He was terrified something had happened… or that something was GOING to happen. No matter how much he wanted to obtain his last badge in the Kalos League and go on to compete in the tournament, he knew what he needed to do. The only thing he COULD do.

" _I need to go home."_

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks all for reading! So how does everyone like it so far? I'm really curious to hear from everyone what they liked or didn't like, so please drop me a line and leave a review! Reviews help me grow as a writer and let me know what's working or not working in my story, so don't think it's not important.

My current schedule for updating this story is once a week, probably on Fridays, but if that ever changes I will post about it or put it on my profile. In a worst case scenario, I will still update every other week. So there are still no problems with the way things are going now, and there's nothing to worry about, I just figured I'd mention that in case people were curious about my schedule for this story.

Well, thank you all again for reading and enjoying this chapter and I will see you in the next chapter!

\- InfiniteImmunity


	3. Chapter 2: Crossing Paths

**A/N:** Hey all! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and enjoyed whatever holiday they might have celebrated! We're really starting to see the tension building in the story as more mysteries are introduced. Who knows what will happen when shit finally hits the fan? Let's find out now! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter in Destiny's Chosen!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form! This story is purely a work of fiction based on the already existing universe! All rights belong to Satoshi Tajiri, The Pokémon Company, Gamefreak, and Nintendo!**

* * *

 **Pallet Town - Kanto**

It was another beautiful day in the Kanto region; the sun was shining, the air was warm, and everybody was taking advantage of the good weather, including Professor Samuel Oak and Delia Ketchum. Pallet Town, being located in one of the more temperate regions of Kanto, was experiencing one of the most beautiful days all season and the two of them were not letting this chance go to waste. The two were driving back from Viridian City in Professor Oak's car. The professor had an errand to run and needed some assistance.

"Delia, I want to thank you again for taking time out of your day to help me… these old bones aren't good for much anymore, I'm afraid." Professor Oak laughed at the joke he made. The aged professor was indeed getting on in years, cursing his failing memory more each day and needing help moving large objects around the lab.

"Oh nonsense Samuel! I'm glad to help, though I am curious, wouldn't you normally have Tracey accompany you to Viridian City for something like this?"

"Well, normally you'd be right, but since Tracey is currently away on a well overdue vacation, I had no one else I could ask other than my granddaughter Daisy, and she's apparently too busy to help her poor old grandfather… children these days!"

"Oh believe me, I love my little Ashy to pieces, but he could always stand to be a bit more helpful around the house!" Delia giggled. She knew her son loved being helpful, but he had the tendency to put his journey and his Pokémon before daily chores whenever he was home. She loved his dedication and determination, but more help would always be nice.

Delia briefly took a look at the strange, metallic object sitting on the backseat. It certainly looked peculiar… unlike anything she had seen before. And it had a few different parts, each more odd than the next. Her curiosity was piqued.

"You know, I am a bit curious since this machine is rather unusual… what is it used for?" She asked her driver.

Professor Oak's face lit up as he began to launch into an animated discussion on the machine's properties.

"Well Delia, have you ever heard of the Orre Region? It lies quite far to the west of Johto and is a mostly desert area?"

Delia paused a moment to think, but then shook her head. "No Samuel, I can't say I have."

"Well this machine was developed over there a little while ago… it's called a Purification Chamber! A team of researchers over there had developed a method of opening the door to a Pokémon's heart should it ever be closed, whether by artificial or natural means." The professor explained excitedly. Delia could almost laugh at how his face lit up.

"This device is a newer version of the original prototype; it is much more compact and maintainable. The prototype was so large and complex, that the lab was built around IT rather than the other way around! The researchers in Orre have recently requested that each region be supplied with at least one of these newer models should the situation ever arise that we need them."

"Wow! But… what would we even need this for? I don't exactly understand where the danger is…"

Oak gave his passenger a melancholic look before continuing. "It seems that the people of Orre had a run in with a crime syndicate that artificially closed the doors to Pokémons' hearts… turning them into weapons to attack people with. They were eventually stopped after a few years, but the paranoia that it would happen again is still there."

Delia was shocked! _"How could anyone do something so heinous?"_

"Ah, looks like we've arrived at your home Delia!"

She looked out the window to see her beautiful, quaint little home with her white picket fence around the perimeter… the trip was now over and she was finally home sweet home.

Are you sure you don't mind storing this contraption here for the time being?" Oak patted the machine in the back. "I'll feel bad if it gets in your way."

"Oh, no worries! I'll just have Mimey come help me store it until Tracey returns and you can set it up! Just let me go find him and I'll be right back!"

Delia exited the vehicle and entered her home while Professor Oak gave her his gratitude. She enjoyed helping however she could. She noticed that her Mr. Mime was nowhere to be seen as she entered the living room.

" _Hmm… I guess Mimey is out back tending the garden?"_

As she walked through the living room and into the kitchen, she could see Mr. Mime taking a nap outside near the garden. The warm sunlight must have made him drowsy.

"Oh, that silly Mimey!" Delia giggled at her Pokémon's antics before heading out the back door to the garden, blissfully unaware that something was out of place in the kitchen.

It was the video phone in the corner of the room, and the flashing red light of one missed phone call.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Crossing Paths**

* * *

 **Celestial Hotel  
** **Anistar City - Kalos**

"WHAT!? IS THAT REALLY WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON!?"

"Serena! Bonnie! Keep it down will you? I wanted to tell just you two, not the whole world!"

As promised, Ash had taken the time to explain the situation to the two girls over dinner that night. Clemont, having heard most of Ash's tale the night before, wasn't too surprised. He WAS a little concerned, however, when Ash mentioned that he couldn't reach anybody at home on the phone, which was unusual. When the girls heard the extent of their friend's torment they were completely stunned. A certain honey-blonde performer was left to her own thoughts on the matter.

" _Oh Ash… if only you had told me earlier! You were suffering alone for so long…"_ Serena thought to herself.

Ash could see the look everyone was giving him. It hurt to see them so torn up over his nightmares. "Guys it's ok!" Ash tried to lift their spirits. "To be fair, this is nothing compared to some stuff I've been through… I'm just worried is all."

The three Kalosians looked at each other briefly before looking back at Ash.

"We're worried too Ash… I told you this last night as well, but we care about you, and we want to help however we can." Clemont spoke with determination.

"Yeah, yeah! My big brother may be useless sometimes, but he's totally right about this! I'm gonna help you no matter what!" Bonnie shouted in excitement.

Clemont narrowed his eyes at his sister's comment. "Bonnie! Mind what you say about me! I'm not useless!"

"Are too! I'll take it back when you actually invent something that doesn't blow up!"

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!

"ARE TOO!"

Serena and Ash sweatdropped at the siblings' latest spat. They knew they could only fight like this because of how close they were, but seriously, it could get a little distracting sometimes.

"Well… there they go again. Wonder how long this will last this time?" Ash chuckled.

"Oh who knows… though I will admit, it's always nice to have something like this to liven everything up!" Serena lifted her hand to her face and giggled into it. "Hehe, there's never a dull moment traveling with everyone!"

At Serena's statement, Ash froze and looked down at the ground. That reminded him, he needed to tell the others something important. He looked up at Pikachu who gave him a nod of encouragement. Ash nodded in return and began to prepare himself for what might happen next.

"Actually Serena, that's something I wanted to talk to the three of you about…"

Serena almost missed what Ash had said because he was speaking so softly. "What was that Ash? You have something to tell us?" At this, Clemont and Bonnie stopped arguing with each other long enough to hear Ash speak.

"Yes… it isn't easy saying this, and I thought it over multiple times, but I think it's the only thing I can possibly do right now." Ash took a deep breath. This was it.

"I think I'm going to need to go home for now."

Everything got quiet. It was like the world stopped spinning for a moment and nothing else could break this oppressing silence.

"Y-you're… what?" Serena said.

"I said, I'm going to need to go home. For now." Ash said again, this time with a little more conviction. This was something he decided, so he needed to see it through to the end.

Nobody could say anything. The awkward air around the group of friends just got thicker and thicker. Seconds felt like hours until someone finally broke the barrier of silence.

"Will you… will you come back? Or is this goodbye?" Clemont looked Ash right in the eye as he spoke.

"NO! I don't want to say goodbye to Ash! We were having so much fun traveling around everywhere! I don't want this to end yet!" Bonnie had tears welling up in her eyes. She felt like her whole world was crashing down around her.

Ash felt like his heart was breaking at the little girl's crying, he needed to say something. "Don't worry Bonnie! This isn't goodbye… I promise I'll be right back as soon as I figure out what's going on at home. I could never stay away from you guys for too long, even if I tried!"

"R-really?" Through a few quiet sobs and sniffling, the little girl continued. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do! Besides…" Ash looked a Clemont and smiled. "We're like family now, right?"

Clemont smiled back. "Of course. We're going to see each other again real soon." He felt like everything would be alright, even if they were separated for a short while.

"See Bonnie? Your brother believes in me… can I ask you to believe in me too? It would mean a lot to me if you did."

"O-ok… I'll try!"

"Thanks Bonnie… I appreciate it." Ash gave the girl a thumbs up and patted her on the head. He then turned and looked at Serena, who had been quiet all this time.

"Serena?" Ash asked slowly. He wasn't sure how she was going to react to this news. He couldn't tell her expression since she was looking down at the ground and her hat was hiding her facial features.

The twins looked at each other, scared at how Serena was going to take the news.

"Serena… are you ok?" Ash asked again. As soon as he asked, she raised her head, her crystal blue eyes meeting his amber ones. The most surprising thing, though, was that she was smiling.

"Yep! I'm perfectly fine!" Her cheeriness was not something the rest of them were expecting.

Ash was confused. "You… uh… you are?"

"Of course I am! You need to go check in on your family and friends at home and I totally get that. Honestly, I would be more surprised and upset if you didn't say you were going to go home for a while after something like this."

"Serena…! Thank you so much for understanding! You have no idea how much this means to me."

Serena widened her smile as much as she could. "Anytime Ash… so what's the plan then?"

"Well, I was going to make my way back to Lumiose City and catch the first plane to Kanto I could."

"Then we'll come with you! That's ok with you guys right?"

"Of course it is Serena!" Clemont said. "We'll show you off to the airport with a smile Ash."

"Yeah! And then when you're done you can come back!"

"Then it's settled! We'll leave for Lumiose first thing in the morning… if that's ok with you Ash?" Serena asked.

Ash nodded in response. "Absolutely! If we're going to leave at first light, then let's head to bed soon so we're well rested."

"Sounds good! Well then, I'm going to head back to the room now and get ready for bed… I'll see you all in the morning!" Serena smiled and waved goodbye to the gang and began to walk away quickly. She needed to get out of there before it was too late. As she turned, her energy and emotions exhausted, her smile quickly fell from her face. Serena believed it was unnoticeable, but one person in particular caught the breaking of her facade.

Bonnie tilted her head and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Serena…?" The eight year old girl gave her brother and Ash the slip as they were talking to each other and gave chase. She pursued the retreating performer and followed her up the stairs and into the hallway where their room was. Peering around the corner, Bonnie watched Serena enter the bedroom and close the door. She slowly crept to the door and was about to open it herself until she heard something strange.

She heard the sound of sobbing on the other side of the door. Along with the crying came muffled shouts, each one filled with more regret and despair than the last.

"Why…? Why? WHY!? Why am I such an idiot!?" Bonnie could hear every word between the sobs. Serena was crying and yelling at herself. "I can't be selfish… I can't ask him to stay here, or to take me with him… but, why does he have to go? I'm going to lose him again after all this time…? And I haven't even accomplished anything! I couldn't even tell him… how much he means to me… will I ever get my chance now? Oh Arceus I'm such a fool! I'm a coward!"

Serena continued to weep and Bonnie felt her legs grow heavy. She slid down the side of the door and began tearing up herself. Her friend… no, her sister was on the other side of that door, crying and in pain. She felt lost. Bonnie didn't know what to do.

"Oh Serena… I'm so sorry…"

Bonnie silently cried with Serena out in the hall; both girls feeling heartbroken for different reasons. Serena felt that she was losing Ash, and Bonnie could feel her anguish. After a good fifteen minutes, Bonnie finally heard the sobbing stop from inside the room. She slowly let herself inside and saw that Serena was kneeling over her bed. She had fallen asleep in her crying. Bonnie slowly made her way over to Serena and covered her with blankets, so she could be warm while she slept.

"Ash… please don't leave me again…" The heartbroken girl mumbled in her sleep.

Bonnie climbed into her bed and pulled up her covers. She felt that she would not be sleeping well this night either.

* * *

 **Lumiose General Hospital  
** **Lumiose City - Kalos**

"Dr. Harrison! Dr. Harrison! Please, come quick, there's an emergency!"

A tall, dark-skinned man with squinty eyes turned to look at who was calling him. He was currently on his way to the locker room to end his shift for the night, so he was surprised that someone was calling for him at this hour.

"Huh? What's the emergency nurse…?" Brock tilted his head quizzically. In front of him stood a short, slender, blonde woman with large blue eyes. Her golden hair was drawn into a tight bun that rested on the back of her head. She was the perfect picture of a typical Kalosian woman to a Kanto native: Beautifully exotic. Brock would have been tempted to flirt with her, which was a bad habit he had worked hard to break over the last few years if he wasn't too busy trying to figure something out. Something that was confusing the doctor in training.

"I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"You've been here a month and you still don't know your colleagues' names yet!? I thought they were teaching you better at the Saffron Medical Institute!" The nurse shouted indignantly.

Brock scratched his head, thoroughly embarrassed. "I mean… this was only supposed to be a month-long assignment… so I never bothered to get to know everybody here… in fact, today is supposed to be my last day."

The woman glared at him until he started to sweat bullets. Finally, she shook her head and sighed in resignation. "Never mind, it's not important. But what IS important is that you hurry. None of the other staff members are available so you need to pitch in. I'm sorry, you should be clocking out for the night, but we need your help."

"Of course! Now that I know I'm needed, I wouldn't leave even if you tried to make me!" Brock said.

The nurse smiled and quickly nodded in response. "Thank you! Now hurry, this way! The patient is badly hurt from what looks like a really rough battle and needs immediate treatment."

Brock nodded and quickly followed the nurse down the hall. After some twists and turns, the two entered one of the examination rooms. Inside the room was another nurse who looked very overwhelmed at having been left alone with the patient and it's trainer in the room. The trainer was a boy of average height and was wearing a blue jacket with a red cap on his head. He was hurriedly asking question after question to the nurse, much to her dismay.

"Is my Absol going to be ok!? Do you know what's wrong!? Are there any broken bones? What about a concussion?"

"Please, sir, calm down! When a doctor arrives, they will be able to tell you more than I could!" The nurse took a defensive stance, afraid of being overrun with questions and the panicked trainer again.

Brock took a step forward into the room, making his presence known. The trainer's eyes lit up at the sight of his medical coat while the nurse let out a sigh of relief. She was off the hook for now.

"Doctor! Please! Help my Absol!" The trainer pleaded.

Brock smiled softly and placed his arm on the trainer's shoulder. He looked to be not much younger than himself, so he understood what he must have been feeling at that moment. "Don't you worry, I'll find out what's wrong and take care of it no problem. While I examine your Absol, please, calm down and tell me what exactly happened." Brock pulled out a few tools and began to examine the injured Pokémon while the trainer calmed down and began to recount his tale.

"Well we were in Terminus Cave training for the Anistar City Gym when we were… attacked." The trainer shuddered.

"Attacked? By what, the local Pokêmon in the region? That seems awfully unusual…"

The trainer shook his head. "No, not the Pokémon. We were attacked by a group of people in red suits… their Pokémon were really tough and Absol ended up like this before we could get away."

Brock paused his examination to look back at the trainer in shock. People did this? How could that be?

" _Who in their right minds would attack innocent travelers and trainers for no reason? What's going on?"_ Brock broke out of his reverie and asked the trainer again.

"Are you sure that it was a group of people who did this?"

"Of course I'm sure! I wouldn't make this up!" The trainer shouted back.

Brock winced. He apparently had hit a nerve with the trainer when he questioned his story. Still, if it was true, something needed to be done.

Brock looked at the blonde nurse who came in with him. "Nurse, could you please go inform the police that there are dangerous characters operating near Terminus Cave? I would like to prevent more incidents if at all possible."

"Of course! I'll let them know right away!" The nurse gave a quick bow to the trainer and left the room quickly to go find a phone.

"Well, I have good news for you and your Absol at the very least… it looks like his injuries aren't too severe. There is some internal bruising and a minor fracture in his front right leg, but other than that, Absol has a clean bill of health." Brock smiled at the relieved look the trainer had at the news. Clearly, this boy cared for his Pokémon a great deal. "My only advice would be to keep it from battling or overt physical exertion for about one to two weeks and he'll be back in top form!"

"Thank you doctor! Thank you so much! Seriously, you have no idea… I owe you one!"

"Haha, no problem… I never caught your name?"

"Oh! My bad, I totally forgot!" The trainer chuckled and pulled down the brim of his cap. "My name is Calem, and I'm from Vaniville Town." Calm shook Brock's hand at his introduction.

"Good to meet you Calem. My name is Brock and I'm medical intern from Kanto. I'm here on assignment from my school back home… in fact I'm due to leave for home in the morning now that my studies here are over."

"Well Brock, I'm sure glad I caught you when I did. You saved me, and Absol too. If you're ever back in Kalos, look us up!"

Brock laughed heartily at the offer. "Sure thing Calem! It was a pleasure to meet you. The nurses here will help you fill out the proper forms for release and then you'll be on your way. Safe travels."

"Yeah, you too Brock." Calem shook Brock's hand one more time before moving over to his Absol to pet it. He wasn't ready to leave his Pokémon's side quite yet and that was perfectly fine. After relaying his instructions to the nurse still inside the room, Brock walked out and back down to the lockers where he kept his bag. The halls were quiet and peaceful, thanks to the late hour. It gave Brock time to think about what he needed to do next.

" _What a way to end my time here at Lumiose General… I need to make sure I get enough sleep for my early flight back to Kanto in the morning!"_

* * *

 **The Outskirts of Slateport City  
** **Route 110 - Hoenn**

"Alright Piplup, use Whirlpool and follow it up with an Ice Beam right up the center! Quilava, use Swift when Ice Beam reaches the top of the water funnel!"

"Piplup!"

"Lava!"

Dawn's commands were shouted confidently from across the field where her Pokémon were practicing their combination moves for their next contest here in the Hoenn region. She was upping the ante with this next combination, hoping it would go over really well in the appeal round.

"Yeah, that's it guys! You're doing great!" Dawn encouraged her Pokémon.

The young coordinator, only fifteen years in age, had managed to accomplish many great feats since she began her Pokémon journey only a few years ago. While she still hadn't managed to win any major tournament or contest circuit, she was proud of how far she had gotten each time and how strong she became because of it. After Dawn knew she had "no need to worry!" about the trials she would face and the difficulty that was the Hoenn contest scene. Ever since her good friend May Maple had finally won the Hoenn Grand Festival a few months ago, the number of trainers and coordinators flocking here were growing every day. Dawn relished the chance to go up against extremely skilled opponents, hoping to take the crown from the Princess of Hoenn, as May was called.

The tropical sun beat down on the blunette's head; she thanked herself for the forethought to put her long hair in a ponytail, the perfect way to counterbalance the heat the Hoenn region was famous for.

"Now Quilava! Use Swift!"

At her command, Quilava leapt into the air and took aim at the spiraling vortex. He unleashed his Swift attack at just as Piplup's Ice Beam exited the top. The resulting impact created a bunch of flying ice stars over the top of the whirlpool and a very bright rainbow effect. To the passerby, it was a very beautiful sight.

Dawn let out a cheer at her Pokémons' success. "YES! You guys finally did it!" She ran forward and gave them a big hug, proud of their accomplishment; they had been trying to perfect that move for over a week now.

"Now we're ready for the next contest! Oh, they're gonna be FLOORED when we perform!"

"Piplup pip!" Piplup gave his trainer a brave salute.

Dawn's confidence skyrocketing, she struck a pose. "Watch out May, because Dawn, the Sinnoh Legend, is coming for you at long last!"

Piplup and Quilava looked at each other and sweatdropped… their trainer was indeed good, but her self-titling could use some work.

"Let's head back to the Slateport Pokémon Center… we deserve a good meal after today… and I could use a shower." Dawn scratched her nose, a little embarrassed. "The sun has not been kind to me today. That's what I get for growing up in a colder climate… but oh well." She shrugged.

Her Pokémon nodded and cheered at the decision. It was late in the day and they were all getting very hungry and tired.

"Then it's settled! We march!"

Dawn quickly returned Quilava to it's pokéball and began walking back to the coastal city with her trusty partner Piplup in tow. Dawn had grown used to staying in the area around Slateport recently, as it was the region's main trading and shipping port. There, you could find ferries to many of the other regions in the world. Even just a short while ago, she had arrived here herself from a trip to the Johto region; she had gone to compete in her second Wallace Cup there. Before that, she had just gotten back from another quick trip to the Unova region where she met up with an old friend and traveling partner. Her musing led her to speak her thoughts aloud.

"Hey Piplup, what do you think Ash has been up to lately? We haven't seen or heard from him since Undella Town and the Junior Cup… you think he's doing ok?"

Piplup looked up at his trainer and smirked knowingly at her question. Of course she would wonder that. She had been wondering that before AND after she had gone to Unova. It was a great subject to tease the blunette over.

"Piplup…?" He smirked mischievously.

"Wha… what!?" Dawn's face flushed. "You're totally wrong Piplup! Of course I miss Ash, but it's the same as any of my other friends including Brock and May!"

Piplup just shrugged his shoulders and laughed at the coordinator's embarrassment.

"Ugh! Well maybe SOMEONE won't get as much food tonight as his pudgy penguin body might want!" Dawn threatened.

The small penguin immediately went pale at the thought of going hungry for the night. There were battles worth fighting, and sometimes, there were battles that weren't worth it. He immediately deduced that this one fell into the latter category.

Dawn saw the scared look on her Pokémon's face and let out a hearty laugh. "Don't worry, I'm only kidding! But that's what you get for teasing me… even though I guess I deserve it, huh?"

"I know I've been talking about him a lot more lately… maybe these are pent up emotions from when we used to travel together or something? I don't even know anymore, but I'm sure I'll figure it out… no need to worry, right?" She clenched her fist and smiled. "They say 'time makes the heart grow fonder' or something like that! Or is it distance? Man… I've never been good at sayings…"

"Pip piplup piplup!"

"Hehehe, thanks Piplup! I'm counting on you to help after all! Now let's…"

Before Dawn could finish her thought, she heard something come bounding out of the bushes and in her general direction in a hurry. It came so fast that it crashed into her and Piplup.

"Electrike! Trike!" The Electrike cried in shock.

"Whoa! Ouch!" Dawn fell over from the impact of the small wild Pokémon running into her full force. After collecting herself, she stood back up and went to check on the Electrike.

"What's the hurry little guy?"

The Lightning Pokémon growled threateningly at the coordinator. "Eleeeee…" Sparks began to fly of its fur.

"… uh oh. I think I see where this is going." Dawn sweatdropped. This was going to be bad if she wasn't careful.

"THERE YOU ARE! YOU CAN'T GET AWAY FROM ME THAT EASILY ELECTRIKE!"

Dawn's eyes immediately snapped in the direction this strange, new voice came from. Unfortunately for her, the Electrike took this shift in focus as a sign to attack. Suddenly Dawn's vision was colored blue as she was zapped with a jolt of electricity.

"AGGGHHHHH!" Dawn screamed in pain. After a full day of training, Piplup couldn't take the damage ether and ended up passing out from the attack.

Its job done, the Pokémon was about to make its escape… until it was blocked by another trainer, clad in a green shirt, and his Grovyle.

"Now I've got you! Grovyle, use Leaf Blade!"

The Grovyle leapt forward with the blades on its arms glowing green with power. In just one strike it managed to weaken the Electrike enough so it couldn't run anymore.

"Great job! Now… POKÉBALL GO!"

"Elec…?"

The Elecktrike didn't have a chance to comprehend what was happening before it got sucked into the pokéball. Struggle though it may, it could not overcome its exhaustion and eventually succumbed to the trainer's pokéball.

The young trainer stared at the wiggling ball until he heard that definitive "click". His stoic face quickly transformed into a wide grin at his success.

"I… I did it… I caught a Pokémon! Grovyle, we finally did it! We caught an Electrike!"

"Gro!" The green lizard gave his trainer a thumbs up in approval.

As much as the trainer would have liked to continue his celebration, there was one thing he was forgetting… or just hadn't noticed.

"Well excuse me, but I think you owe me an apology!" Dawn shouted at the boy after returning her downed Piplup. She had witnessed the whole exchange take place, even after she was shocked.

The boy looked at her, confused. "Huh? What do you mean 'apology'? What did I do?"

"You made that Electrike attack me! Don't you know how to catch a Pokémon without putting people around you in danger!? I swear!" Dawn shouted angrily.

The boy grimaced and finally realized his error. He could see that the girl's hair and clothes were all singed and frazzled.

"Oh… I'm… uh, sorry about that. It was an accident, I swear!"

"You're lucky we're so close to the city now, otherwise I'd be in trouble since you got my Piplup knocked out!"

"I'm… really sorry." The young trainer sweat dropped.

"You!" Dawn grabbed the boy by the collar. "You did this, so you're going to come back with me and take responsibility."

"Wait, what!?"

"You heard me! Now what's your name kid?"

The boy looked back at his Grovyle who was calmly walking behind them. It shrugged at the boy, telling him to clean up his own mess this time. He sighed.

"My name is Max, lady."

"Well Max," Dawn gave the boy a sickly sweet smile, one that sent chills up his spine. "Get ready for one hell of a lecture when we get there!"

Through a string of protests from Max, the two set off for the Slateport Pokémon Center.

* * *

 **Lumiose City Airport  
** **Lumiose City - Kalos**

After driving for the last three hours in a privately hired cab, Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie had finally made it to the airport. Ash was due to catch the next plane to the Kanto region in a few moments, so they all stood outside of the boarding gate, waiting for the announcement. There was a dark cloud hanging over all four of them, but no one wanted to be the first to comment on it. They were all sad and upset that things had to come to this, but there was an air of understanding too. It was quite a difficult situation.

Bonnie raised her deep blue eyes from the ground and looked at both Ash and Serena. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't forget what had happened the night before, and the tears Serena cried in frustration and desperation over Ash's departure. She wanted to be able to say something to the both of them more than anything, but even she couldn't pierce the depressing mood the whole group was in.

"Bonnie? Are you ok?" Clemont asked his little sister.

The young girl looked at her brother and smiled sadly. "Yeah Clemont… I'm ok. This is all just too sudden, you know?"

"I know what you mean." Ash interjected. "But I swear to you all that I'll be back as soon as I can. I have a gym badge to win still, right?"

Even through the sadness, with Ash's words and the smile he was able to give, the two siblings were finally able to smile again. Ash always had a way to brighten the mood, no matter what it was.

Ash turned to look at Serena, who still hadn't said anything yet, even on the way to the airport. She looked emotionally drained.

"Serena? I swear to you too that I'll be back. So don't look so down!" Ash placed his hands on both of her shoulders. "Remember: never give up until it's over. We'll be back adventuring in no time!"

At his famous catchphrase, the honey-blonde finally looked him in his eyes. Serena was captivated by the two amber jewels staring passionately back at her. He truly believed that everything was going to be alright. So why shouldn't she? She mentally kicked herself for ever doubting Ash's words or his intentions. He would be back. And then they can keep traveling and maybe she can finally have the chance to share her feelings at that point. There was no need to cry.

Overcome by emotion, Serena couldn't hold back anymore. She latched onto Ash with the biggest hug she could muster, thoroughly debating whether to actually let him go or not.

"S-Serena? What's wrong?" Ash asked the girl.

Serena removed her head from the raven haired trainer's shoulder and released her arms after a few minutes. A few minutes she wished would never end.

"Nothing Ash… I want to wish you luck and a safe flight home." She smiled as best as she could as she spoke.

" _ **Flight 2117 from Lumiose City to Viridian City in the Kanto region is now boarding. Please keep track of all your luggage and valuables as you board our flight."**_

Ash looked back at the gate behind him. "Well, I guess this is it… you ready Pikachu?"

"Pika pika!" The mouse cheered energetically

"Thanks for everything guys." He smiled at all three of his Kalos friends. "I'll be back before you know it!"

"Have a safe flight!"

"Dedenne!"

"Science will open the way to the future! Don't forget!"

"Don't give up until it's over… we'll see you soon!"

Ash smiled warmly at all of the goodbyes as he and Pikachu turned around and walked down the gangplank. Hopefully, he could get to the bottom of his strange dreams once he got home.

Once Ash was out of sight, Serena clenched a fist to her heart. The pain was real, and she couldn't be strong anymore.

" _Please be safe Ash… stay safe and come back to me."_

Serena finally let her tears flow freely for the first time that day.

* * *

"Would you look at that buddy? We got the window seat!"

"Pi Pikachu! Pika pikapi!"

Ash and Pikachu quickly and gingerly sat down in their seat on the plane headed back to the Kanto region. It would be about an eight hour flight, but hopefully, Ash thought, they would be able to sleep through a majority of it. He didn't want any jet lag when he finally got home.

"… I wonder what's going to await us when we finally get home. You think everyone is ok?"

"Pika?"

"Ha! Yeah, maybe I am worrying about it too much… I'm sure things will be totally fine!"

Ash had to believe that everything would be ok, otherwise he would lose his mind from worrying so much. Before he could lose himself in his thoughts, a voice came from next to him. It must have been the person sharing the row with him.

"Excuse me, I think this is my seat…"

Ash looked up at the voice. "Oh, yeah sure! Let me just move my-"

Ash paused mid sentence. His eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Wait… Ash? Is that you!?"

"BROCK!?"

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

 **A/N:** Well there you have it! Ash and Brock have unexpectedly reunited on their way back home. Though their reasons for flying home may be different, their meeting again after so long was not just a coincidence... while at the same time Serena struggles with her feelings for Ash. Also, there seem to be other things going on outside of Kalos as well... I wonder what it could mean? Dawn and Max have met for the first time, without a clue who the other really is, and Prof. Oak seems to have gotten a strange machine from another region. Find out what happens next in the exciting continuation of Destinty's Chosen!

Thank you all for reading and I will see you again in the next chapter. Have a Happy New Year!

\- InfiniteImmunity


	4. Chapter 3: The Age of Z

**A/N:** No witty commentary this time, let's just jump straight into the chapter!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape, or form! This story is purely a work of fiction based on the already existing universe! All rights belong to Satoshi Tajiri, The Pokémon Company, Gamefreak, and Nintendo!**

* * *

 **Flight 2117  
** **In flight**

"I can't believe it! What are the odds, right Pikachu?"

"Pika!"

"Yeah, this is such a shock for me too! How have you been Ash? We kinda lost touch over the last year or so… things have just been so hectic lately. I'm sorry." Brock spoke softly to Ash.

It was true and Ash regretted it. He HAD lost touch with Brock and most of his other friends as time went on. He had no clue how Misty, Gary, May, Max, or even Dawn were doing just to name a few. He hadn't even spoke to his most recent ex-companions, Iris and Cilan, even after parting ways with them only six months ago after returning from the Decalore Islands. The raven haired teen looked back at his oldest traveling companion and couldn't help but feel like he was looking at a stranger. What could Brock have been up to these last few years? Was he even the same old Brock he knew?

Ash smiled sadly at his friend. "No Brock… I'm the one who's sorry. I've never been that good at keeping in contact with my friends, and this just made me realize it." The boy sighed. "At any time I could have just picked up a phone and made a call to anyone… you, Mist, May… but I was always too absorbed in my adventures and League Challenges to thin about it. Some 'friend for life' I am, huh?"

Pikachu's ears drooped at his best friend's sad tone and patted him on the shoulder, doing his best to say that it was all ok.

Brock put on a soft expression, he didn't blame Ash at all for the lack of contact. Sometimes, things just worked out like this, despite one's best intetntions. He decided to change the subject and brighten the mood a bit.

"Don't worry about it Ash, it's not just on you. So anyway, I take it you're challenging the Kalos league then?"

Ash picked up a bit at Brock's question. "Well, yeah! When I heard about the league and how tough it was, I just couldn't stay away! I managed to make some new friends while I was here and, coincidentally, got to run into an old one too."

"An old one? You mean someone you knew before? Have I ever met them?"

"No no! She's someone I knew when I was a kid!" Ash laughed. "We met when we were around six or seven back in Pallet Town, but she moved to Kalos shortly after. We met up again after all these years!"

Brock whistled, clearly impressed. "Wow, now that's certainly a story!"

After a slight pause in the conversation, a new thought crossed Brock's mind. "Wait, hold on… if you're still challenging the Kalos League, why are you heading home? I mean, I'm heading home because my internship is done here in Kalos, but now I'm curious… what's your reason?"

Ash froze and looked at Pikachu, who only shrugged and nodded back at his trainer. Ash sighed in resignation, knowing that this topic might have come up in conversation sooner or later.

"Well…" Ash spoke. "It's a long story Brock-o… you sure you want to hear it?"

Brock nodded back. "I'm all ears."

"Ok then… it all started with this recurring dream I've been having for a few days now…"

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Age of Z**

* * *

 **The Hall of Origin**

In the most holy domain of Arceus, the Alpha Pokémon sat upon His throne in deep thought. It wasn't too long ago that He had spoken with His three sons about the looming disaster that was the Darkness. He had hoped that His cherished children would be able to find it within themselves to put aside their petty differences and come together in the face of this threat. Sadly, it was not meant to be.

Arceus breathed a deep sigh. **_"How could I let this happen? Their foolishness will be our downfall! Such blatant factionalism will tear away any hopes we have of combating this evil."_**

* * *

 _"_ ** _Father! What is this madness!?"_** _Roared Dialga._ ** _"Surely you jest!"_**

 _Arceus looked at His oldest and glared into his eyes._ ** _"No Dialga, I do not jest. This threat of the Darkness is a very serious one. I have not told you three of these things before because I had hoped there would never be a need to take action. That was My mistake, and a very grievous one at that."_**

 ** _"_** ** _But Father… if this threat is so serious, surely You have a plan of action?"_** _Responded Palkia._

 _Arceus nodded._ ** _"I do indeed have a plan, though it might not please you to hear it."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Please, tell us! Whatever Thy will be, I will see it through to fruition!"_** _Dialga proclaimed._

 _Giratina shook his head in shame at his older brother's proclamation of support. Dialga would do ANYTHING to please their father._ ** _"_** **What a kiss ass…** ** _"_** _The Renegade Pokémon thought to himself._

 _Arceus nodded once more._ ** _"Very well. I made mention of another presence within the realm of My nightmare… another spectator. I have pondered long and hard the night before on why there would be someone else there."_**

 _The creation trio listened intently to their Father._

 ** _"_** ** _And?"_** _asked Palkia._ ** _"What is the conclusion you have reached?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I can only believe that that presence was there because they were MEANT to be there. It is not often the machinations of destiny supersede My own omniscience. That being will be playing a very important role within the next three years before the Darkness emerges… perhaps, even, he will be our only hope."_**

 _Giratina noticed the shift in pronoun and was confused._ ** _"He? Father, does this mean You know who it was?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I do indeed. I believe you all have met this young man at one point or another within the last few years. It is none other than one Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town."_**

 _Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina were all shocked at this revelation. Yes, they all had met this human in the past, but was their fate, and the fate of the world, really to rest on this boy's shoulders?_

 _Arceus continued._ ** _"It is My hope that you three will find Ash and bring him here to me. I wish to speak with him and warn him of the danger to come. I trust that this young man is of pure spirit and I have seen first hand his great determination… I truly believe he can help."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Father! I object to this decision!"_**

 _Arceus lowered his gaze at the source of the objection._

 ** _"_** ** _You dare question Me Giratina!?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Far be it from me to question you_** **Father** ** _but I do not approve of this decision. Yes, I have seen this trainer in action first hand, but in no way do I believe we should put our full trust in him! Humans have done nothing good to keep this world in balance… no matter how '_** **pure'** ** _this child may be, he is still a human!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _GIRATINA!"_** _Dialga roared at the top of his lungs._ ** _"You insolent little-"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Of course YOU would agree with Father, Dialga! You always did… even including my banishment!"_**

 ** _"_** ** _How dare you!? If I could, I would erase you from time where I stand! You will be nothing more than a violent, evil creature!"_**

 _Giratina's eyes widened at his brother's derision. NO MORE! He would no longer be looked down upon by his family! It was time to settle their differences once and for all. He began to gather energy to attack Dialga, as the Bring of Time reared his head, prepared to strike back._

 ** _"_** ** _THAT IS ENOUGH!"_**

 _Before the two of them could fight, Arceus bore down on them as quickly as he could._

 ** _"_** ** _You will cease this bickering at once! There is a greater threat than your squabbling… and I expect you all to do your parts in maintaining the balance of the world!"_**

 _Dialga and Giratina relaxed their stances and stood down. As much as they wanted to fight each other, now was not the time._

 _Giratina scoffed at Arceus's plea._ ** _"Very well, but know this: I will NOT be aiding this human in any way."_** _Giratina materialized a portal back to the Distortion World next to him._ ** _"I will take my leave now. Farewell."_**

 _Giratina stepped though the portal and closed it behind him. The three deities left in the Hall of Origin shared a moment of tense silence between them until someone spoke up._

 ** _"_** ** _I will be honest Father, I had not expected this to go well."_** _said Palkia, having been quiet this whole time._ ** _"As this seems rather interesting, I will gladly aid you in whatever aspect I can, but for now, I shall return to my own realm of space. I trust Dialga can handle the task of finding Ash Ketchum on his own."_**

 _Dialga nodded at Palkia's suggestion._ ** _"Yes, it will be a simple task. As long as both you and Giratina stays out of my way, it will be no problem at all."_**

 _Palkia merely smirked at that._ ** _"No need to worry, I have no interest in aiding either of you right now. I only prefer to get involved if it seems interesting after all."_**

 ** _"…_** ** _Very well, I leave it to you two. Now go."_** _Arceus commanded._

 _The two remaining pokémon nodded and replied at the same time._

 ** _"_** ** _Yes, Father."_**

* * *

Arceus could only scowl as he remembered the events that transpired earlier. Each one of his sons seemed to have their own agenda at the moment and refused to work together. This did not bode well.

 **"…** **the events of Alamos, the Gracidea Garden, and Michina… surely I am not mistaken in believing in the power this young man possesses. He has toiled in bringing balance to the world on many separate occasions, even when it was not his job to do so."**

Arceus slowly walked down the hallway away from His throne, lost in thought.

 **"** **He was called the 'Chosen One' once before… perhaps he is now Destiny's Chosen as well…"**

* * *

 **Meyer's Home  
** **Lumiose City - Kalos**

Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie were all gathered around the dinner table in Meyer's home. After leaving the airport, Clemont suggested they go to his father's home and shop to rest for a while before deciding on what to do next.

Clemont looked at Serena with worry, as the young performer had not spoken a word since Ash's departure. It did not take a genius like himself to see that she was still very upset.

"Hey… hey big brother?"

Clemont looked down to his right to see Bonnie poking him in the side quietly, trying to get his attention.

Hh whispered back. "Yes Bonnie? What's the matter?"

Bonnie looked over at Serena before continuing. "Do you think… do you think Serena is going to be ok? She still looks so down…"

"Yes… she does indeed." Clemont solemnly noted. "I don't think there's much we'll be able to actually do for her now. She'll need to pull herself out of this funk."

Serena looked up at the two siblings. "You know… I can still hear you both…"

Clemont and Bonnie both jumped out of their seats in surprise. They chuckled nervously to each other, not having been expected to be noticed like that.

"Serena… are you going to be ok? It's like there's this dark cloud hovering over your head. We're worried about you." Bonnie said.

Serena looked at the young girl, and after a moment, smiled softly at her. How could she have forgotten? This sweet girl and her older brother were her friends as well, and they were concerned. Maybe she should try to cheer up… even if it's only a little.

"Thank you Bonnie… Clemont. Thank you for caring. I'm really sorry I worried you guys so much. I'll be fine… it's just so hard is all… I finally met Ash again after all these years and now he's gone and now I'm worried that-"

"That you've missed your chance to convey your feelings, correct?"

Serena's heart skipped a beat and her eyes shot up. He… knew? How? When? For how long?

"Clemont, I…"

"No no Serena! It's quite alright!" Clemont chuckled and rubbed his head sheepishly. "It wasn't that… difficult to figure out to be honest. Even more so with how you've been acting today."

"Big brother! Can you at least be more sensitive about this!?"

"What? Oh! Oh dear, I'm very sorry!"

Serena looked back and forth between the two of them. Clearly, there was no point in trying to hide it anymore, since the both of them seemed to know. She let out a long sigh in resignation.

"Well… I guess there's no point in trying to hide it I guess…" Serena took a breath as a blush formed on her white cheeks. "Yes, I have… certain feelings for Ash."

Bonnie's eyes lit up. "YAY! I'm so happy to hear it Serena!" The eight year old got out of her seat and began bouncing up and down in excitement.

"W-Well… you don't need to get _that_ excited Bonnie." Serena sweatdropped.

Clemont, however, adjusted his glasses in recognition. "Only _certain_ feelings? Not love?"

Serena paused as her heart skipped again. "I… don't really know to be honest. I really _really_ like him, I know that much, but… I've had this crush for so long that I can't tell if it's love or not. I think I was getting there for sure over the last few months of traveling together, but now, I don't know anymore."

"But Serena, Ash will come back, you know? Don't count on your love being unfulfilled! When he comes back, I'll help you as best as I can!" Bonnie exclaimed proudly.

Serena looked down at the table again and began to feel tears well up in her eyes once more. She knew crying wouldn't help or solve anything, but her heart felt like it was sinking into a black abyss. Even though she knew Ash would be returning as soon as he could, she couldn't help but have a bad feeling about all this.

"… I feel like he won't be though."

Clemont and Bonnie both looked at the honey blonde as she said that.

"What do you mean, Serena?" Clemont asked.

"I just… I feel like something bad is going to happen. That we won't be able to see him for a long time."

"That's crazy! Don't say things like that!" Bonnie cried. "He will come back! You need to believe that!"

"B-Bonnie, calm down…"

"Sorry big brother… I just don't want to think that that's a possibility…"

"No, you're right Bonnie." Serena shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm sure I'm just imagining things!"

Clemont smiled a bit. "Maybe you just need some rest? Take the week to rest for a while, and then maybe you'll feel better."

Serena nodded and smiled back. "Yeah… you know, I haven't been home in over six months… I think this is a good time to head home and see my mom. Maybe I'll be able to relax and take my mind off of things while I'm there."

"Sounds like a plan! Would you like to meet back here in a week's time?"

"Sure!"

"Great! Now big brother can do his job as a gym leader for the next week!"

Clemont paled slightly. "Oh… I guess I do… don't I…?"

"Oh it'll be so much fun Clemont! We'll train your Pokémon, come up with strategies, and do all kinds of stuff!"

 _"_ _I thought Clemont was the gym leader… not Bonnie."_ Serena thought to herself. "Well then, I guess I'll start heading home for now then."

Snapped out of his reverie, Clemont nodded. "Ok then, we'll see you in a week Serena."

"Bye Serena! See you soon!"

"Bye bye guys!" Serena waved as she picked up her bag by the door and opened it.

"Whoa!"

"Oh my! I'm sorry Meyer! I almost walked right into you!"

Meyer let out a hearty laugh. "Oh no need to worry Serena, no harm done! Where are you off to? You aren't staying?"

Serena shook her head. "No, I'm actually going to head home to Vaniville Town for now… I'll be back in a week though. Have a good day Meyer, and thanks for letting me stay as long as I did!"

"Oh no… not at all."

Meyer watched Serena's retreating back with a grin on his face. He didn't know the extent of what was bothering the girl, but as long as she had her Pokémon and stayed strong, she would pull through all right. He turned around and walked in the open door to his house.

"Clemont, Bonnie, I'm back!"

The two siblings came out from around the corner to greet Meyer, happy he had returned.

"Welcome home dad!" Clemont said. "Where did you go off to anyway? You've been gone since we got here a few hours ago."

"Ah, nowhere really, just off to take care of some things for the shop is all! I ended up talking to an old friend for a while, which is why I took so long." Meyer gently squeezed a pokéball on his belt.

"Never mind that! Big brother, we need to head to the gym and get the place ready right away! I'm sure Clembot will be happy to take a break! Come on already!"

Bonnie grabbed her brother by the arm and started dragging him out the door, despite his protests.

"Ah, w-wait! Hold on!"

All Bonnie could do was give Clemont a mischievous grin back.

"Nope!"

She took off like a rocket, dragging her brother behind her.

"Oh no! P-Please! Slow down!"

Meyer could only chuckle as he watched his kids' take off down the street towards the Prism Tower. They certainly have a lot of energy! Well… at least one of them did. He was about to continue upstairs until he felt something buzz inside his pocket. He pulled out a small, handheld communication device and answered it.

"Hello?" He answered the caller.

" _Ah, Meyer? I'm glad I caught you."_ A voice responded. It was a boisterous, yet confident voice. _"Have you managed to look into that 'thing' I asked you about? The higher ups are getting impatient."_

"Yes, I managed to take a gander at what you asked about. Well…" He paused.

 _"_ _Well?"_

"Well you were certainly right at being suspicious. That Lysandre and his company are hiding something. I'm not entirely sure what yet, but I have a feeling it can't be good."

 _"…_ _I see. Then I'm afraid I was right. Perhaps I should come to Lumiose? I will need to clear it first, but with enough persuasion…"_

Meyer shook his head. "No no, I'll be able to handle it. Blaziken Mask is the defender of justice around here after all."

 _"_ _You better hope so. Still, I'll send an agent or two from HQ. You can never be too careful. Thanks old friend."_

"Hey, no worries… and if you send people this way, let me know ahead of time, alright?" Meyer paused and scratched his chin with his free hand. "So is that all? I hope that's enough to get those big-wigs off your back, at least for the time being."

The voice let out a loud guffaw at Meyer's joke. _"Oh I wish… though it's enough for now."_

"Alright, I'll be in contact again if I find out anything new. I'll talk to you soon, Looker."

 _"_ _I look forward to it Meyer. As always, the International Police appreciates your support."_

* * *

 **Near Terminus Cave  
** **Route 18 - Kalos**

Near the vicinity of Terminus Cave, a woman with vibrant purple hair perched herself on a jagged cliff's edge, the myriad of trees below her were stretching for miles in any direction. She brought a hand to the purple visor adorned on her face and pressed a button. The button brought up her binocular module and she began to search the surrounding forest intently.

"Come out, come out wherever you are…" She sung to herself.

After a few minutes, her scanner picked up a reading. It was so small, she almost missed it, but there was no mistaking it. The energy readout she was receiving matched the projected wavelengths exactly. She finally found what she was looking for.

The woman grinned darkly as she turned off the binocular module in her headset.

"I finally found you…" She turned on her heel and faced behind her. She looked at the six men and women that were assigned to her subjugation task force with glee. "All of you! Disperse and surround it! I've uploaded the coordinates and thermal signature to your comm devices so you should have no trouble locating it. Bring me the prize. Now go!"

"Yes ma'am!" The grunts all gave a salute and started descending down the mountain.

The woman chuckled as she pulled out her own comm device and made a quick call to another associate.

"This is Celosia. Mable, can you copy?"

 _"_ _This is Mable… what the hell do you want Celosia?"_

"How did your capture of Z-2 go Mable? Was it as easy as you said it would be?" Celosia smugly asked her fellow scientist.

 _"_ _You…! Z-2 got away! It did not go as I would have hoped."_

Celosia felt like dancing when she heard Mable's anger well up. She knew Mable had failed thanks to their boss and she was overjoyed to be getting under her skin right now. She loved it.

"Ah, well that's too bad… Looks like I'll be getting Z-1 first! Toodles!

 _"_ _Damn you Celosia! When I get my hands on you, I'm going to-!"_

Click.

She couldn't contain herself anymore. Celosia laughed her heart out at Mable's expense.

"Oh dear… that was priceless. Now, let's go hunting!"

As Celosia began to descend the cliff, her comm device began going off again. It was a member of her task force. Perhaps they had already caught Z-1.

"Yes?" Celosia answered. "Speak up."

 _"_ _Captain! We seem to have met resistance from a young boy! He's causing us some trouble!"_

"What!? Do I have to do everything myself around here!? I'm on my way!"

She quickly made her way down the path and into the forest below her. After locating her team and Z-1 on her radar she broke into a run. There was no way she was going to fail like Mable did.

As she neared the field where her team was, she heard a voice giving battle commands.

"Grovyle, quick! Use Leaf Storm!"

"Groooooovyle!"

Celosia reached the field in time to see her last two agents get blown away by this young trainer and his Grovyle.

"You! Young boy… who are you?" She shouted.

"The young trainer looked over at the source of this new voice, ready to fight if he had to. His green hair swung in the wind.

"Were these goons with you?"

"Answer my question _boy,_ and maybe I'll let you leave this place unharmed."

"The name's Sawyer, and I don't like how you were treating that poor Pokémon! If you want to get to it, you're gonna have to go through me!"

Celosia gritted her teeth in annoyance. How dare this whelp get in her way!?

"FINE! Go Drapion! Teach this brat a lesson he'll never forget!"

"Grovyle, get ready for a fight!"

As Drapion emerged from it's pokéball, Celosia immediately went on the offensive.

"Now Drapion, use your Sludge Bomb!"

"Uh oh! Grovyle, dodge it! Hurry!"

Grovyle quickly leapt into a nearby tree to avoid being hit by Drapion's Sludge Bomb.

"Gro!" the green Pokémon said.

"Now use your Agility to confuse it!" Sawyer commanded.

Grovyle quickly bound down the tree and began running circles around Drapion. Confused and unsure where Grovyle was running to next, Drapion stopped in it's tracks.

Celosia, however, was prepared to deal with this and turned on the tracking module in her headset.

"Drapion, launch another Sludge Bomb three feet to your right!"

Drapion obediently followed it's trainer's instructions. Immediately, contact was made and Sawyer's Grovyle was sent flying into another tree.

Sawyer was shocked. "What!? Grovyle are you ok!? How did you do that? He was moving too fast for you to see!"

All Celosia could do was laugh. "Technology is a wonderful thing, is it not? It makes the impossible, possible." She slowly walked forward. "Now tell me, where is Z-1?"

"I don't know anything about a 'Z-1', but if you're looking for that little green Pokémon from earlier, I let it escape!"

"WHAT!?"

"Yeah! I hope it got far enough away from you guys!"

Celosia growled in frustration. She failed anyway. Now she had to report back to the boss and get scolded and look bad in front of the others. She turned back to Sawyer and gave him a menacing look.

"Get out of here _boy_ , or you'll regret seeing me angry."

Sawyer didn't need to be told twice. He quickly returned Grovyle to it's pokéball and ran off to the nearest Pokémon Center he could find.

Celosia could hear him mumbling something as he ran off. ' _If only Ash were here to help'_ was what she heard. She could care less. She had a bigger problem on her hands now. Where could Z-1 have gotten to now?

She pulled out her comm device and called HQ.

"Xerosic, do you read me?"

After a few seconds of silence, a voice was heard on the other end.

 _"_ _Yes, I read you Celosia. What is your status?"_

"Unfortunately, Z-1 has escaped… what do you wish me and Mable to do?"

 _"…_ _I can't believe you two allowed your targets to escape so easily. Return back to base. I'm going to send out Bryony and Aliana to finish your jobs."_

"B-But sir!"

 _"_ _No buts. You have your orders."_

After relaying his terse orders, Xerosic hung up.

"… Yes sir."

Celosia spat on the ground. She was upset things had come to this.

"Next time… next time for sure."

* * *

"Huh? What do ya think dis things supposed ta be?"

"I… haven't a clue. I've never seen something like this before. It's not even in the database." A blue haired man spoke back.

A small green creature was passed out in the middle of the road on the outskirts of the forest. It was beaten, bruised, and exhausted. The three people who had discovered the small creature by chance were now presented with a problem. What do they do with it?

"Should we take it? Oh, maybe the boss knows what it is?"

"Good idea Jessie! Da boss knows a lotta things! Give him a call."

Jessie pulled out a video watch and gave their boss a call.

 _"_ _What do you three want?"_

Jessie and James gave a sloppy salute. "Giovanni, sir! We found an odd green thing on the side of the road. Is it a Pokémon?"

As Jessie pointed the camera at the subject in question, Giovanni took a look. He gasped at what he saw.

 _"_ _Is that…!? You three, take that thing and bring it back to our Kanto HQ immediately!"_

"Wait, what? Sir, is this thing really that important?"

 _"_ _Yes it is… good work you three. I will see you with that creature within the next two days. Giovanni out."_

As Giovanni hung up, the three members of Team Rocket looked at each other in confusion. They weren't sure what they just found, but apparently, the boss wanted it. That was good enough for them.

"… fire up the balloon Meowth! We've got this squishy little thing to deliver!"

"Roger!"

* * *

 **Team Rocket HQ  
** **Unknown - Kanto**

Giovanni slowly stroked his Persian's luxurious fur in contemplation. At last… at long last it was finally time to move ahead with protocol Zeta. He was shocked that those three bumbling baffoons were the ones who found such a precious tool like that, but he wasn't complaining.

"Now then… my plans to use the powers of Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus might not have worked… but this… this is finally the time! No one can stop Team Rocket's rise to world dominance now."

Giovanni silently continued stroking his Persian as he recalled his failed attempt at using the Reveal Glass in Unova. He would have been successful if that one boy hadn't meddled. In fact, if it wasn't for him, Team Rocket would already be much more powerful. Perhaps he should pay the child a visit…

"Ash Ketchum… I will not allow you to meddle this time."

Giovanni picked up the phone on the table in front of him and dialed a number.

"Hello? Yes, it's me… I have a job for you." He paused and looked out the window next to him. The sun was shining and he could even see the deep blue water of the sea… surely the gods were smiling on him this day. He delivered his dastardly order with glee.

"I need you to take a trip to Pallet Town..."

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope that chapter was to your liking... I'm actually not sure if this was my best writing or not, but hopefully you all enjoyed it regardless. I decided to use the first episode of the new XYZ series as a sort of "what if" scenario. Like, what if Ash and the team weren't there to save Squishy from Team Flare? I felt like that would work well with the direction I'm taking this story in, and the themes that are going to be present. And clearly, Team Rocket is also going to have a major role to play in the future as well. Giovanni has his own plans for Squishy, and he even seems to know what it is. Lysandre isn't the only threat. Or maybe he. Who knows? Well... I do, but the rest of you are going to have to wait and find out!

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!

\- InfiniteImmunity


End file.
